Ino Take Two
by Lerris
Summary: We have all read the stories where people get second chances. What if Ino Yamanaka gets that chance?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. This is a non profit work meant only for entertainment.

Chapter One

Ino walked the long road to the academy. She supposed it really wasn't that long, but it seemed to be this time. It was her second day to the academy. It was also the second time she was experiencing this day. It was a surprise to come back at all. She normally avoided any of Naruto's crazy schemes, but there had been no one else. She felt her emotions rapidly overwhelm her, but she held on with nothing but stubborn Yamanaka will.

Even with her best, she could not fully suppress it. She had begged him to run away with her; begged him to not do this; begged him to not sacrifice himself on what she thought was a Hail Mary attempt at best. She still couldn't believe it had worked. Even now, she could hardly believe and she had been back the better part of a week.

Her father knew. In a family of mind walkers she had two choices run or wait. The first time he entered her mind to practice he could tell that she was his daughter, and yet not his daughter. He had watched fascinated as an older mental avatar of his daughter packaged a bunch of memories and delivered them right to him as if she was every bit as old and experienced as her mental avatar suggested.

They were working on a plan, or rather trying to at least. They had the beginnings of one, provided her father could pull it off. Her part began today; well today at recess. She regretted the delay, but it had taken her time to get her bearings, and she had deliberately put off training with her father till he had insisted.

She walked out to the school practice yard. Naruto was trying and failing to practice kunai throwing, while Hinata, even now was watching him from behind a tree. She debated on where to begin; the princess or the rogue. Hinata seemed the more difficult case, but perhaps she could lead by example.

She walked over to the blond. She could hardly believe the man she had wanted to run away with started like this. She bent over and picked up one of his practice kunai. "Garbage," she said absently.

"Huh?" Naruto asked.

"Your practice kunai are garbage. That is partly why you are doing so badly."

Naruto blushed obviously embarrassed.

"Here, try one of mine." She reached into her pouch and handed him the first one she came to. He took it and examined it for a few seconds before shrugging and throwing it. He hit the target, though no where near the middle.

"Would you like me to show you how to improve your accuracy?" she asked.

"Sure." He looked around and sure enough Mizuki was coming towards them.

Mizuki said, "Is there a problem here?"

Ino, knowing who this was, said, "Yes, you are interrupting our training."

"I'll be telling your family about this."

"Do so. Now leave."

Mizuki hesitated. "I could assign you detention for this."

Ino turned to him, her expression hard as she let a little of her killing intent hit him and only him. "Yes, I would like to have you in detention."

Iruka wandered over. "Is there a problem?"

Ino said, "Your so called assistant just attempted to stop me from helping my new friend and threatened me with detention."

Iruka was puzzled. Then he noticed who her new friend was and his eyes narrowed. "Mizuki, why don't you take a break. I'll help these two."

Mizuki hesitated before nodding and walking away.

Naruto looked like he wanted to run and hide.

Ino smiled a small smile at him while slowly and carefully talking him through how to throw a kunai and then correcting him one step at a time. In less than ten minutes he made a throw that was in the middle third.

Iruka said, "We'll done Miss Yamanaka. Early clan training I take it?"

Ino nodded.

"Let me know if there are any further issues."

"I will."

"I'm a bit curious. It is unusual for new academy students to be quite like you."

Ino said, "My father made some suggestions."

Iruka nodded.

\- o -

Mizuki considered his options. The Yamanaka surprised him. Their family was always known to be opinionated, and Inoichi was to be feared. He didn't really see an option but to leave them alone, but he hated it. He even considered informing the Hokage, but inform him of what, that an academy student intimidated him? That the head of torture and interrogation's daughter was maybe an imposter. The idea was absurd. If you're going to take someone's place, it isn't going to be a member of the mind reading family, well unless you wanted to live a very short life.

\- o -

Iruka also considered the odd encounter. It didn't seem to warrant action as of yet, and if his senses didn't entirely fail him, then ANBU already noticed, and if he had to guess then Kakashi noticed. No, if anything needed done ANBU would do it. It wouldn't be an issue at all, except anything odd happening to Naruto was automatically an issue. A random kunochi offering to help him and then giving him half of her practice kunai was odd. What's more is her training was spot on. He seriously doubted he could have done better. In fact, he had picked up a few details that he didn't normally think about. Curious indeed.

\- o -

The old Hokage considered what Kakashi just told him, as well as the much longer discussion from Inoichi. His idea made sense, yet it was puzzling. Sure, he had no great objection to Inoichi training a future potential team for Ino. The one on one training would likely do them good. Well, he had no objection but one. Naruto Uzumaki was involved. He also didn't like the idea of Inoichi taking time away from his duty to T&I, though with Ibiki coming along well, it probably was okay. Inoichi assured him he could always leave shadow clones and he did have other clan members who could help. Apparently he had already gotten the agreement from Shikaku and Chosa. They were even considering doing the same thing with their children. He was sure he wasn't being told something, though he had no idea what.

Kakashi was still standing before him. He told him of Inoichi's plan. "Your opinion?"

"Inoichi is loyal. All I've got is perhaps a desire to make sure Ino has a very strong team and doesn't end up dead, though adding Naruto adds a potential target, as does Hinata. I'd have almost have expected him to try to duplicate the well proven Ino, Shika, Cho trio rather than this. It is puzzling."

"Can you think of a reason to deny him?"

"No, but I'd like to know more. Do you mind if I continue to remain as his ANBU shadow?"

"Agreed. Now, all I need to do is figure out how to break the news to Hiashi."

Kakashi smiled. "It is curious. Did you know that Naruto saved Hinata once from some bullies and she keeps stealing glances at him?"

The Hokage frowned. Kakashi quickly continued, "I would have stepped in had anyone been in actual danger."

"No. It is curious. Inoichi puts together a team for his daughter that just happens to have considerable potential, perhaps including Hinata's crush as a deciding factor. Naruto may need bonds if he is to resist the demon. Continue your duty Kakashi, but first can you stop by the Hyuga compound and ask Hiashi to stop by my office when he gets time."

"Of course." Kakashi waved.

"Dismissed."

\- o -

Hiashi walked in less than an hour later. He bowed formally, but not an inch more than protocol demanded. He then waited for the Hokage to motion him to sit and did so.

"I know your wondering why I called you here. One of my most trusted Jounin has proposed a plan to train his heir and a potential team for his heir. Your daughter is on that team."

"Please explain."

"It's Inoichi's plan. He wants to personally arrange the instruction of his daughter, Naruto Uzumaki, and your daughter."

"Why?"

"He says he wants to insure his daughter has a team that is strong that she can trust. I cannot fault him there."

"I am uncertain if my daughter..."

"He was very adamant about getting them both."

Hiashi's right eyebrow rose, but he gave no other acknowledgement.

"Will you allow it?"

"Why?" asked the Hyuga clan head.

"I'm not sure I understand," dodged the Hokage.

"Do not play me for a fool. I can assume Inochi's daughter must have some potential, but to put two Kunochis on a team is rare; to put two on a team like this is quite odd, is it not?"

"I thought of that, but Inoichi explained it to me. His goal was one of balance."

Hiashi looked at him in curiosity, obviously waiting for elaboration.

"Inochi's daughter is bound to be an information specialist. She also has a potential emerging ability at battle coordination, which while not unheard of for a Yamanaka, is nevertheless rare. Naruto will likely be heavy combat, and may someday be able to do S class jutsu the way most do A class or simply create armies of clones to destroy Konoha's enemies. Finally your daughter has all the abilities your clan is known for. Simply put, there is no mission a team such as this would be unsuited for. Combine your daughters eyes and say several hundred shadow clones and they will find their target and eliminate it. Add in Ino's skills and no information can be kept from them and if her battle coordination works, then even their weaknesses will be covered for."

"Interesting, but there were several other possible teams. The Nara for instance, could likely create plans that work with the Yamanaka's battle coordination and Naruto's possible clone army, and you have a strong team. For that matter, Naruto could be at the heart of a heavy combat team. Of course with the current crop that would probably require the last Uchiha and maybe Shibi's son."

The Hokage sighed, and it wasn't over the strong sense of scorn Hiashi had whenever the Uchiha clan was mentioned. He wasn't honestly sure if Hiashi was just fishing or not, but he needed the man's cooperation. He hadn't wanted to mention the final reason. Inoichi had mentioned it first, but it was, if anything the most important. He said, "First, I think if you'll think about it, you'll agree those choices would not be ideal for Konoha. For one thing, putting someone as crafty as young Ino is said to be on the same team as a Nara would be a waste."

Hiashi gave a short nod, not really agreeing but at least indicating that he heard.

The Hokage asked quietly, "How much do you know about how typical Jinchuriki seals work?"

"Not a great deal, though I have no doubt Minato did an excellent job."

"His life was sacrificed for that seal. It is his best work combined with the power of the Shinigami. For now it is fine. In fact, had Minato designed it differently it might actually keep even the nine tails sealed up tight until the day Naruto dies of old age, which for an Uzumaki could be a long time from now."

Hiashi said, "He must have done something else. I can hardly think he would have made it weaker without reason. The seal must be designed so Naruto can eventually use the beast's chakra." Hiashi frowned. "Why would he do that? Of all the tailed beasts the Kyuubi is easily the most dangerous, and I rather doubt it will ever agree to work with its jailer like the ones in Kumo are said to do. Frankly, while I think the idiots who want to kill Naruto are a level of stupid that warrants their execution lest they get us all killed, I also don't necessarily think having him use the beasts chakra is advisable. Foxes are said to be clever, and the Kyuubi is from all I've read no exception."

The Hokage said, "Suffice to say, Minato had a reason, and it is a reason I agree with.''

Hiashi looked into the Hokage's eyes and seeing he was not going to elaborate simply nodded.

The Hokage said, "The key to resisting the Kyuubi's corruption is for him to have bonds with others and with Konoha."

Hiashi looked at him in disbelief.

"I know well my own failings. Do not repeat them!" the Hokage said sharply.

Hiashi said softly, "Forgive me."

The Hokage said, "Forgiven," in a tone that seemed to not really mean it. He then said, "The strength of the seal will in time partly depend on the strength of Naruto's will. Simply put, they are the only two Academy students that have really shown an active interest in helping him. Sure he has gotten along with a few others, but there is no real feeling or interest there. He needs people that are willing to give a damn about him. He needs to see and know there are reasons for him to hold back the demon's hate. Yes I know it puts your daughter in danger, but it also protects her. Now will you allow it?"

"Provisionally. While I agree of the need, I am less than certain of your choice in my daughter. Let us see where they are in a month or two."

The Hokage sighed. "Then why allow it?"

"Why? The answer is simple. I have failed to instill in my eldest the strength that she requires to lead the Hyuga. Now I haven't given up on her, but it is clear that my current approach is not working. At the same time, I have little faith in the academy. They are not strict enough and do not push hard enough. I have watched the so called genin that place graduates. The genin in my graduating year would have crushed them."

"Minato was in your graduating year," the Hokage said dryly.

Hiashi nodded.

"Very well, I will tell Inoichi. I take it you will tell your daughter."

"I will, but you should know that as of right now Hinata is not considered a worthy heir. She has the softness of her mother, and in many that would not be a bad thing, but she would be eaten alive if she managed to become heir."

"What do you mean if?" the Hokage asked softly.

"I mean precisely that. If the elders do not see significant improvement in her abilities then I do not know how long I will be able to protect her from the caged bird seal, and if she has the seal..."

The Hokage finished, "If that happens, I'll probably have to split the team up. I can't have Naruto indirectly controlled. Having an angry Jinchuriki slaughter the Hyuga elders is also less than desirable. Fine, I will make sure Inoichi knows the stakes. Now, he also mentioned that he might hire certain trainers to expedite the process, and that donations to that cause would be greatly appreciated."

"Let us see results first. If I am satisfied I can authorize a significant sum, particularly if I can bring the elders positive news. For a larger sum the elders must be satisfied. That will be quite difficult. Skill will not be enough."

"Understood."

\- o -

Naruto could hardly believe that he was no longer going to the academy but instead meeting with Ino and Hinata at the Yamanaka clan's training hall.

Inoichi said, "I have already given my daughter extensive training, so some of your training will by necessity be from her. My first question goes to Hinata. Can you activate your Byakugan?"

"Hai."

"Do so. Compare my chakra levels to Naruto's and my daughter's."

Hinata made a hand sign and then her eyes changed with veins sticking out around them. She looked at Inoichi before moving her eyes to Naruto. Her eyes widened. "Naruto-kun has almost double sir." She deactivated her eyes, but not before glancing at Ino with her eyes widening again.

"Hinata, I assume also that you have unlocked your chakra coils?"

Hinata nodded.

"Naruto, I assume you have no idea what that means?"

Naruto hesitantly said, "No, I don't."

"Good, we have our first task, but first I'll give you all an overview of chakra again. Pay attention. The details matter."

He talked for over an hour and gave many examples of chakra manipulation. He even covered Yin and Yang chakra and their applications to medical ninjutsu including giving many situations where a qualified medic meant the difference between not only a mission succeeding or failing, but of the people coming back alive.

Hinata asked cautiously, "Can I learn medical ninjutsu?"

"Eventually yes, though it is difficult. You may not be familiar, but the Hokage trained a team. His team had a kunochi on it named Tsunade Senju. She learned chakra control to the point that she could enhance her punches enough to shatter the Earth and her medical skills are still second to none. People any other medic would write off as hopeless she brought back and healed fully."

Hinata's eyes widened as a hope she seldom allowed herself to have took hold.

Naruto said, "I don't get it. Why do I have so much chakra?"

"That is a question I can't answer. It will make much of your training more difficult, but it will also help you when you actually become a shinobi. You just have to work hard to master it."

Naruto looked determined.

And so the lessons continued, day after day, for three four hour sessions interspersed with one hour breaks. Physical exercise was generally followed by mental training which was followed by more physical exercise. Such was their schedule that at Inoichi's suggestion, both Naruto and Hinata moved in.

\- o -

Inoichi looked on as her daughter tried to get Hinata to engage seriously. She was even more hesitant with Naruto. This would not do. She didn't do this to him, perhaps because she believed he was too strong to be hurt, yet she refused to go all out against them. Did she really fear hurting them this badly? He called a halt to the practice.

"Hinata," he asked quietly. "Do you care for Ino and Naruto?"

She hesitantly nodded.

"Then why are you not taking your and their training seriously? The kunai we use are training kunai. We have a hospital seconds away by shunshin. I also know that you have enough control not to accidentally cause them mortal damage, so why do you risk their lives?"

Hinata was suddenly dumbfounded.

"You are risking their lives and your own by not taking training seriously. One day it will not be training, and if your training now is not done correctly the odds of you and your team surviving then is little, so what will it be? Will you work hard to grow stronger to become the kunochi, and possibly even the medical kunochi that saves your friends and help them be stronger in the process, or will you not?"

Hinata's face suddenly grew determined as she faced Ino again, this time lashing out with a glowing palm.

Ino smiled. "Excellent. Keep it up."

Hinata's face, if anything, became even more determined. She was utterly surprised when a chakra point she was sure she had closed reopened.

"You'll have to do better than that Hinata-chan," grinned Ino.

Hinata didn't miss a beat continuing her attack.

\- o -

The Hokage invited Hiashi to a meeting where he unveiled his crystal ball and his telescoping jutsu. They watched an entire four hour physical training session where Hinata fought first Ino, then Naruto, before facing Inoichi himself.

"Remarkable," Hiashi said quietly. "Her progress is remarkable. They are already genin level, are they not?"

"We will keep that bit a secret, won't we?"

"Of course. Do you mind if I continue to observe their training?"

The Hokage showed him how to continue feeding chakra into the jutsu, but not how to change it.

Hiashi was astonished when two hours later Ino was showing his daughter how to, for lack of a better term to heal a dying flower with medical chakra. He was even more surprised when his daughter's chakra flared green for a moment. Sure it wasn't medical grade, but just to hit that transformation even for a moment was a notable accomplishment. It signaled possible potential with yin-yang release, which was not an area the Hyuga were well known for, though there had been exceptions. Is that what his dear Hitomi gave his daughter?

He watched her try for another hour without duplicating the burst. Ino continued to obviously encourage her and his daughter never lost focus. It was not genius so much demonstrated by his daughter, but more of an absolute focus that was frightening. Why had she not showed this focus in their training?

He was a bit surprised when Naruto and Inoichi carried in styrofoam targets, arrows, and high end compound bows, followed by Inoichi's wife.

She slowly walked them through aiming and firing. She, herself, consistently got a bulls eye.

His daughter actually did better than Ino. Naruto didn't have much luck. He read Naruto's lips. "Why arrows? They don't cause much damage."

Inoichi's wife grinned and quickly spun a paper seal around an arrow and fired. It resulted in smoke briefly filling the room. He read her lips, "Think what would happen if that was a paper bomb."

Their eyes all widened at that. She spoke again. He continued to read lips. "Tags tend to interfere with the flight of an arrow. It is possible to embed the seals right into the arrows, but it typically requires someone with an extensive knowledge of sealing. I can do it, but I'm not the best at it. I can, however, teach what I know. Naruto in particular may benefit from it."

"Me?" he asked.

"Yes, you may not know much about your clan. They were all but lost in the last war, but they did have one skill that set them above most. They were experts in the art of seals. Some say the Uzumaki were so skilled that they could do almost anything with seals, even seal living beings into seals without harming them."

His daughter seemed particularly interested in her words. That bore watching. He knew she hated the branch family seal. He didn't necessarily disagree, but he would not allow his daughter to die in any foolish quests. If she was jounin level and they had a workable plan was one thing, but for now it wouldn't do for certain parties to know about her interest in seals, or medical chakra for that matter.

That was one area he knew the elders were beyond stupid. Tsunade was considered the best medic in the world. That honor should go to a Hyuga. Their eyes made them far better suited to the field than an ordinary medic ninja and Hinata seemed more so, if what he saw was correct. That they had few medic ninjas was just stupid. Tsunade had shown that being a medic ninja didn't mean being weak.

Could he perhaps find the legendary medic? Rumor has it she was wasting her families fortune on gambling. It might bear looking into. He looked back at the crystal ball only to see Ino punch through a stack of boards. He could tell that she didn't cheat by aligning the grain favorably. That was clearly chakra enhanced. Was Tsunade or someone already teaching them? His daughter was watching very closely with her Byakugan while she did it.

His eyes bugged out when he saw his daughter punch right through a one by four. Sure it was something he could do, and it could also be done with a sledge hammer, but this was a first year academy student, and for that matter what was up with Ino? That level of control was absurd for an academy student to have, no matter what the training, particularly for no one to have heard of it. Then again, Inoichi was no fool and as the head of the Interrogation department he well knew how to keep secrets.

He saw his daughter's pained face. Obviously, despite her surprising skill she had not executed it perfectly, even if she had not felt it right away due to adrenalin. His surprise expanded when Ino took his daughter's right arm in her hands and gently ran medical chakra up and down it using what looked to him like a flawless mystic palm technique. As soon as Ino started his daughter somehow just ignored the pain and watched the entire process with her Byakugan activated with absolute focus.

\- o -

It was near the end of the day when Hiashi stepped back into the Hokage's main office. He said simply, "They are doing quite well. Contact me if you need anything. Just know that the more obvious help I provide, the more attention may be drawn to this training."

"Noted. So, are you satisfied with your daughters progress?" asked the Hokage dryly.

"Yes," was all he said before stoically walking out the door.

\- o -

Hiashi considered late at night what to do. Sooner or later the elders would learn of Hinata's progress. Then they would demand he seal Hanabi. He was personally seeing to Hanabi's training. While she was clearly not becoming as well rounded as Hinata was, she was a prodigy in her own right. He needed a solution where both of his daughters remained unsealed.

He spent much of the night trying to think of one.

\- o -

Hiruzen was not surprised to see the old war hawk in his office.

"You are running an elite training program."

"Not I. It is his pet project, as I'm sure you no doubt know."

"What is the status of it?"

"They are doing well."

"So, you are not going to tell me."

"Correct," replied the Hokage.

"Very well. It at least must be an improvement on that academy."

The Hokage rapidly considered his words. They were hardly the first complaint he heard. He recalled a similar complaint from Hiashi not long ago. "Perhaps you could help me with that?"

Danzo's one visible eye expressed surprise. "You want me to run the academy?"

"No. I want you to come up with a set of revisions to the academy that improves it. I will of course reject anything that destroys emotions or any such nonsense, but I do think we can agree on some things. I suggest you tailor the list with that in mind, so as not to waste both our time."

Danzo nodded. "You will have it in the morning. As a gesture to show you my good will, I will point out something you may have forgotten."

"What is that?"

"One of your more recent academy instructors was a student of Orochimaru."

"Mizuki."

Danzo nodded.

"Is he a traitor?"

"He is fairly stupid. I do not think Orochimaru is in active contact with him, though I think he would be receptive."

"And do you know of anyone who is in contact with my former student?"

Danzo simply smiled a small smile, saying nothing before walking out the door.

Hiruzen once more considered killing the man. He sent for Ibiki and repeated what he knew. He was uncertain how many resources to devote to Mizuki. Perhaps if he had an excuse to fire him, an actual interrogation could be arranged. It was also possible that Danzo knew of some more dangerous scheme and was pointing him to a small fish to distract him. A better question was how where they to implement whatever fraction of Danzo's ideas were reasonable? Not that many chunin wanted the teaching jobs. Perhaps he could make a D-rank job for advanced genin to help with some training, maybe with a bonus for most improvement? That would require some thought.

Actually, if he passed word to the current Jounin sensei they might be able to coordinate something. Perhaps they could even make it so that to finish the D-rank they must successfully teach a skill they are weak at? Of course the Jounin would have to insure that the genin didn't waste the academy students time, which would mean the Jounin made sure the genin knew it inside out first, but for a vital skill, that the genin might otherwise neglect. Yes. This had potential. He might even have to bump it to a low C-rank given the relative value.

Far too many genin technically learned the academy three, but not to a useful level. Still, while he agreed that regular bunshin were almost useless, and standard henge were mostly only useful against civilians and other genin, being good at simple kawarimi was the stuff that separated a good ninja from a dead ninja.

\- o -

The other clans heard of Inoichi's training, if few details of it. They quickly stepped up the training of not just their current academy students, but everyone, as if they feared to be showed up by those not yet even genin. It was an odd competition, but it was what it was.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Jiraiya stepped back into the Hokage's office, almost a year to the day of Inoichi's plan beginning. Hiruzen had let him know that all was well here, but had not gone into any detail in case it was intercepted. The absolute last thing they needed spread was that the village Jinchuuriki was getting elite training. That was enough to make various hidden villages worried. He heard enough crap from the civilians as it was, though the out of sight thing was helping. They at least had no clue as to his real training. Most assumed the special training was in fact insuring that he got no real training. It would do, for now.

He spent most of a day using his crystal ball and the telescoping technique Hiruzen hesitantly taught him, and none of it was spent viewing the hot springs, well very little of it anyway. The next day the Toad Sage met again with the Hokage. After making sure the room was secure said simply, "Tsunade trained Ino Yamanaka."

Hiruzen was surprised at his students words. He said, "While that would explain much, exactly when would she have done so? You have kept tabs on her. She has not been in Konoha, certainly not long enough to impart that kind of skill, and Inoichi would know easily if that girl was anyone other than his daughter."

Jiraiya said quietly, "Did you know that Minato thought time travel might be possible?"

Hiruzen's eyes widened. "Are you saying she might be from the future?"

"Crazy isn't it? It is crazy that I can't come up with a less crazy explanation. Have you seen what Naruto is doing lately? He is combining the shadow clone jutsu with a bastardized version of Tsunade's chakra enhanced strength. Naruto's chakra control is impressive, given how much he must have, and for a clone to be able to use that at all is, well, absurd, but it is working. His clones can shatter the Earth, and he can create hundreds."

"I must have missed that. How are we not noticing this? Tsunade was hardly subtle."

"Some kind of sealing array surrounding one of the Yamanaka's training grounds I think."

"I want you to figure out a way to get Tsunade to return. At minimum I want to know if she knows anything about Ino's training."

"That is going to be difficult."

"Find a way. If she really was from the future, then I can only assume that things did not go well, and for whatever reason I'm not being brought in on all the details. That she is focusing on both Naruto's and someone who liked Naruto's training is beyond interesting."

Jiraiya said, "He doesn't have the experience, but if he can keep up this rate of growth he will be S-rank one day. They all will. I highly suggest you keep a lid on their training. Have them take the normal genin test when the time comes and make sure they do nothing extraordinary. What about Mitsuki and the changes to the academy?"

"Mitsuki was a dead end. He technically wasn't a traitor, though not for lack of effort. He planned to mess up Naruto's training, but never really got the chance. He apparently kept looking for something he could steal to buy his way back into Orochimaru's good graces. I had him jailed."

"Good."

"As far as the Academy goes, for the first year I split the boys from the girls and made sure Kunochi taught the girls, and when possible I had injured kunochi or shinobi come in and describe both the good and bad parts of their job. We lost more than a few from the Academy, though most suspect we would have washed them out later anyway. So far it looks like the academy is going to get all the important stuff done in little more than a year and a half, and be able to focus on actual skills for the remaining time."

"That sounds useful. Are there by chance any promising non clan students?"

"One. After seeing some of Inoichi's training I decided to introduce some medical training and provide additional resources for those willing to learn. One Sakura Haruno is actually doing well. I'm less than certain she has what it takes to be a ninja, though I'll not pass up a doctor with some medic nin skills either."

Jiraiya asked, "Is their anything else of concern?"

"Not particularly. The last Uchiha seems to still be suffering from what Itachi did. Some of the other clan members, such as Kiba are actually winning most of their spars with him, which has him sulking, but nothing really of note."

"You do recall that Orochimaru covets the Sharingan."

"There is not much to be done about that. I'm certainly not going to arrange private training to someone who largely doesn't seem to care about Konoha."

Jiraiya nodded. "I'll talk to you some more tomorrow. I have some ideas about how to get Tsunade back, but most of them just end in pain with no real progress."

"That's fine. It has been this long."

\- o -

Jiraiya hid with his invisibility jutsu just outside of the main training hall the trio used. A window was here he could see through and a tree further shrouded him from being seen.

\- o -

Ten minutes into their practice session Hinata said in a whisper, "There is an intruder just outside the southeast window. He is hidden by some jutsu."

Inoichi asked quietly, "What else can you tell us?"

"He is tall, and has a weird forehead protector with small horns. He seems to have quite long hair down his mid back that is also saturated with a small amount of chakra. It is difficult to tell because of his suppression and the jutsu, but I estimate he has Kage level chakra reserves."

Ino looked at her father who noticed her expression. He said, "I'll handle it." He then whispered, "Shintenshin no jutsu while subtly forming the hand sign and facing Jiraiya's way."

Ino and Naruto quickly caught his body as it fell and eased him to the ground.

"What now?" Naruto asked.

Ino said, "There is no danger. Help me move my father to where he will be comfortable and then we will continue our training."

Hinata and Naruto looked a bit dubious about that, but quickly agreed.

\- o -

Jiraiya found himself in a barren field, bodies all around him. Not far away he could see the ocean complete with whirling tides. He was unsurprised to see Inoichi walk up to him.

"Whirlpool? Why do you dwell on this?"

Jiraiya said, "It is our failure. Naruto should have been living like a prince here, yet our need to hold back the Kyuubi took away both his mother and his father, and we could not even help them in time. The village hidden in the whirling tides was as old as Konoha, yet look at it now. It was not just their skill at sealing that made them enemies. It was their friendship with us. We failed them, as it seems we failed at other things."

"What have you figured out?"

"Ino is from the future, is she not? Some crazy seal, probably powered by Naruto. Minato talked of such a thing, and I'm nearly certain it would take a Jinchuuriki's power to activate one, if one could even be figured out."

Inoichi formed a ball of light in his hands. It took minutes to form as he bent all of his skill to the task. "This is all that Ino gave me, and a bit of our planning since then. You need but take it."

"What will it do?"

"Your mind isn't a Yamanaka's mind. It will take days to fully decompress. I would also recommend that you remain in our home under my wife's care for at least a week to be sure there are no problems. At minimum your head will ache for days."

"Like genjutsu damage then?"

"The effect is similar yes."

"And you can't just tell me?"

"I could, but I could never give you all the detail you wanted. I have already asked Ino, and so far you are the only one she is willing to give such memories to."

"Why not Naruto and Hinata?"

"Brain damage would be unavoidable at their age. Naruto might heal, or he might not. Hinata would not heal. She would likely become a vegetable. I know well your record. You may act the fool but have the mental training to handle it and are still young enough. Of the others in the village only Kurenai and a few others in my clan likely could."

"You could tell them?" he suggested.

"To what gain? They are already learning as fast as humanly possible and it is spreading to all the clans, and even the academy. Within a year I would like to have Naruto informed of his burden as well as Hinata. They should handle it easily by then. Before they graduate as genin Ino plans to tell them the rest."

Jiraiya started to reach out, but hesitated. "Not yet. I have a mission to try to bring Tsunade back. Perhaps you could come with me and give her the memories. It might help."

Inoichi let the light fade out. "You know where she is?"

"Precisely. No. I do have a good idea. Assuming your training is still current, I think we could find her in a couple weeks, though for best bet we would need a tracker; ideally a Hyuga."

"Hiashi should be able to help. I have heard that he approves of his daughter's training. He may come himself, if we can but think of a plausible lie."

Jiraiya scoffed. "Lies are easy. I can even come up with a true mission, though I may need to talk with Hiashi to see if his clan has need of any improved trading contacts first."

"Silk. They no longer have a source of it."

"That will work. Do you need an excuse as well?"

"No, Silk will do. My family likes it as well. How do we explain your presence?"

"I'll get Kakashi assigned. He can go as ANBU. I will meet up with you outside of the village."

\- o -

Before Jiraiya left he had one more meeting with the Hokage. In it he passed him a rather long scroll.

"What is this?" the Hokage asked.

"A list of known traitors, spies, and key events from Inoichi based on what his daughter dumped in his head."

"What is your recommendation?"

"If your asking me whether to delay as much as possible to protect what future knowledge we have, well I suspect that is a fools errand. There may be tactical reasons for delay, but your guess is as good as mine there. About my only recommendation might be to hold off some till I'm back and can absorb the memories myself."

"Is it not possible for me to get a copy?" the aged Hokage asked.

"Inoichi thinks it would likely kill you or make you a vegetable. It is not going to be pleasant for me, but I intend to have Tsunade standing by."

Sarutobi looked through the scroll. "Is Kabuto really so impressive? It says here he has elite Jounin skills?"

"He certainly did in couple years from now. Be very cautious. Ino's recommendation is to be very wary of him. She recommended not trying to capture him, but straight out killing him and incinerating the corpse. He was Orochimaru's right hand man, and not without reason. He later replaced Orochimaru. Besides, any information he would be worth keeping for, we already have. Kill him with extreme prejudice, though if possible let the story told be different."

"Crap, I had no idea we were compromised that badly. The problem is, if I just kill them all now, then may be replaced with people we don't know. This is going to be a dangerous balancing act you know."

"I know, but your Hokage for a reason. I just know I wouldn't risk too much just for future knowledge. Our biggest consideration is to hopefully delay some of the main actors from looking at us too strongly until we are stronger."

"I see. I'll take it under advisement. You have a go for your mission."

\- o -

Tsunade pulled the lever, only to be showered in gold. She looked around in panic. She could see no one. She quickly loaded up the gold and grabbed Shizune before saying, "We are leaving!"

They were not a mile out of town when Jiraiya easily caught up to them. "Princess, we need to talk."

She slowed down to a walk. "Fine. Talk then leave."

Shizune and Tonton looked on in concern, even as Kakashi, Hiashi, and Inoichi fell in place.

Tsunade's eyes widened. "What brings two clan heads, a member of ANBU, and you to me?"

"Something we will discuss once we have more time. There is a fairly boring little village a few miles from here. Will you come with us?"

"Fine," thought it was clear that it was anything but.

\- o -

Tsunade sat in a high backed chair in the old hotel room as she waited for Jiraiya to talk.

"I don't know everything yet. Inoichi has a huge memory thing he wants to give me, but he expects it will give me a headache."

"Or kill you. Your no Yamanaka."

"He assures me that will not be the case, though I would of course appreciate you being nearby when it happens."

"Is that what you want? My skill as a medic? Who are the memories from? Some traitor perhaps?"

"We have problems Tsunade, yet we also have time to prepare. The memories are from Inoichi's daughter, sometime slightly before her eighteenth birthday."

"His child was not remotely that old when I left."

"They are from the future. It was a future where our sworn godson and Ino where apparently the only ones left alive from Konoha. Naruto sacrificed his life and used his power and the power of the demon to send her here; to give us this chance."

"You want me to take the memories too?"

"If there are no great problems with me doing so then yes, I believe you should."

"Then what?"

"Princess, you have always made your own way. I'll not try to force it now. I will tell you that Ino and her father have been training both Hiashi's daughter and Naruto. Both can use your strength technique after a fashion. Ino clearly has advanced medical skills and Hinata is learning at a rapid rate. Naruto can even do a few things."

"Impossible! Naruto is bound to have a ton of chakra. All Uzumaki have. Add the demon in and no matter how much chakra control training he does he is bound to have problems."

"He uses shadow clones. The clones are destroyed by the attempt, but it does work. With your own training who can say? Hiashi's daughter Hinata is the dream student you have always looked for. If she were in the Academy it would be her second year, yet she can already heal most external wounds. She is limited more by her chakra reserves than skill, and my own estimate is that she is double where she should normally be right now. Ino is doing her best, but she is not you, and it seems she was not your primary student. One Sakura Haruno was."

Tsunade considered his words for several seconds. "I will help you not be made any stupider by the process. No promises beyond that, though I may decide to look in on this little Hyuga. I seriously doubt she could meet my standards."

Hiashi glared at her, but said nothing.

"Will you come back with Konoha with us first or do it here?"

"Here will do."

\- o -

Jiraiya would never consider a headache more than slightly annoying ever again, but thanks to Tsunade he knew it all and was healthy again, save for some minor reflex issues that resulted from his brain inadvertently trying to integrate part of Ino's fighting reflexes. They would fade with time and a bit of training.

"Your decision Princess? This is important. You are needed."

"And yet I died right?"

"It is your choice. Can you let your godson die and this time be without your help at all?"

"Damn you Jiraiya. Let's go see the brats. No memories though. I have more than enough of those haunting me already."

"Good, we have already setup a new deal to have silk traders come to Konoha to sell to both the Hyugas and the Yamanakas. Officially, I wasn't on this mission. I'll fill you in on the details on the way. We can't fully hide your return, but we can make it a bit less suspicious."

\- o -

Hinata was more than a little nervous to be directed to a room by herself with a new trainer. She let none of it show as she entered one of the smaller training areas the Yamanakas had. In the middle of it was a large fish aquarium and a simple hard wood chair. Leaning against a wall was a tall well endowed blonde woman who looked at her imperiously.

"You know this test?"

"I do."

"Begin."

Hinata lightly coated her hand with chakra tinted with the water nature. She was just learning this but she would not miss even this one small attempt to practice. Her hand shot into the water without making more than a small ripple before closing around a medium sized fish and pulling it out. She held it on the table until it was nearly dead then proceeded to infuse it with medical chakra.

About ten minutes into the process Tsunade held her own mystic palm jutsu next to Hinata's for several seconds before saying simply, "That is a good start. We will refine it. Continue."

Hinata continued for almost a half hour before Tsunade took a swing at her. It was far from her fastest swing. Hinata instantly activated her Byakugan and went for her chakra points. She managed to partially close one.

"Enough. You did well but must nearly be out of chakra. Go rest. I will begin your training tomorrow."

"Thank you Tsunade-sensei."

Before she left Hinata quickly resumed her jutsu on the fish until it was breathing before tossing it back in the aquarium.

Tsunade was surprised when not a minute later Naruto came in and closed the door behind him. "I need your help," he said hopefully.

"Oh?"

"They say you are the best medical ninja there is."

"Some say that yes."

"There is something wrong with me."

Tsunade looked at him curiously. "What are the symptoms?"

"Hinata-chan says I have some kind of red chakra along with my blue chakra. She has helped me. I am able to somewhat separate the two. Here let me show you." He grabbed a fish from the bowl and started using the mystic palm jutsu. It was green if not the pure soft green of high grade medical chakra. Everything seemed to be okay though. He kept it alive for a few minutes then put it back in the bowl.

Tsunade looked at him curiously. He just pointed at the fish and sure enough, not ten seconds later the fish floated to the top. Tsunade grabbed the fish and quickly did her own jutsu. She was able to revive it, though only just. It was burned internally. "I see your problem."

"It is better if I focus on making a shadow clone without any red chakra, but I'm still not quite able to do it. Hinata helps."

"What about Ino?"

"She helps as well. She admitted to knowing the problem, but said that she could not explain it to me. She said that what Hinata and I were doing was correct as near as she could tell. She just wasn't sure it was possible for me to succeed. What if one of them is hurt and I can't help them? Sure I can carry them back, or carry one to the other, but what if that isn't enough? My chakra kills the fish! I don't want to know what it would do to them!"

"You're chakra is not killing the fish," she said quietly, before thinking about what she was saying.

"Something is sealed in me isn't it? From my lessons on seals it is the only thing that makes sense, and from all the times I've been called demon and my birthday it has to be the Kyuubi doesn't it?"

"I cannot say."

"Who can?"

"I cannot say, but I will ask for you."

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me yet. I haven't helped you yet."

"You think it is possible?"

"I don't know. Still, even if you can never heal with chakra, there are other ways. A regular doctor can do a surprising amount and with your talent and with shadow clones you could learn it all."

Naruto brightened at that. He then asked, "Am I, well, safe to be around?"

"Sure kid. You should have more faith in your friend's judgment."

"When will you know?"

"I'll ask when I leave here, but that doesn't mean I will be allowed to tell you. Try not to get your hopes too high. I'll do my best, and either way I'll teach you what I can."

"I understand. Thank you."

\- o -

Tsunade was dreading this meeting, but it had to be done. Even without the kid's request she knew that Sarutobi-sensei wanted to see her and knew she could not put it off forever. She did, however, make sure that reprobate Jiraiya was there as well.

"It is good to see you Tsunade. How did your little interview go?"

"The Hyuga has potential in spades. I didn't see Ino, and oh yah, Naruto has figured out how he is different."

The old god of shinobi's expression suddenly grew sharp. "Who?" he asked softly, yet with steel in his voice.

"No one, as near as I can tell. He just had enough competent training to figure it out, and no I didn't confirm it. I did mistakenly say that it wasn't his chakra that was killing the fishes, but that is as far as it went."

Jiraiya looked at her in puzzlement.

The Hokage said, "Naruto has been trying harder to learn medical jutsu. It really picked up after you left to find Tsunade. It seems he can make medical chakra, but the only way he can possibly save someone is to make a clone with as little Kyubi chakra as possible, and even then it is hit or miss."

"He was hoping I could fix it, though I think he already suspects that I cannot. I promised to teach him regular doctor's skills if nothing else, though I may ask Shizune to help with that."

"Fine, tell him."

Jiraiya asked, "And what about the little Hyuga?"

"You're own judgment. You know the risks. Now, from what Jiraiya has learned I am deeply glad that you returned. There is at least one more student I'd like you to try to teach, though I'm somewhat inclined to turn her over to Anko first until the fan girl behavior is ended. It would also give Anko a chance to get the experience she needs to finally hit full Jounin."

"If she is still a fan girl, then yes, don't waste my time. It will be hard enough to try to figure out something so a Jinchuuriki can use medical chakra. Now, if this little reunion is done, I think I want to track down the instigator of all this. Perhaps I can show her the finer points of how to use chakra in combat." Tsunade left without a further word.

Sarutobi said dryly, "We'll she hasn't changed much."

"She didn't want to see the memories. She will help though. Just don't expect her to easily take up the mantle of Hokage. Ino didn't know the details of how we apparently convinced her last time, so that is no help."

"Any further ideas on how to avoid this mess?"

"Have you found competent assistance yet? A Hokage should not have to wade through paperwork all by himself. Spot check and sometimes thoroughly check yes, but not every detail. They are wearing you down with crap and you know it. I'm still tempted to go personally end the civilian council. Them and Danzo caused enough trouble."

"No, I'm still working on it. Ibiki has potential, but with Inoichi spending more time out of T&I I can hardly afford to lose him there. I don't honestly trust Homura or Koharu enough to give them more power."

"What about Hayate? Unless Tsunade can pull off a miracle, he will never be suited to high level field missions again and he is at least competent. For that matter Yugao and him might make a good pair."

The Hokage glared at him.

"What? You think she would be bad at it, just because she likes the guy? It would be a hell of a lot better way for him to spend his days than dying a few years from now."

"The elders would bitch and moan."

"So?"

"You have a point. If they are going to betray me, then I might as well control the terms of it, and if I can't trust them then they are hardly advisers. Sound them out for me will you? See if they will do it. I'll also need you around to help contain any fall out."

"Will do. You know, I was thinking, after watching all Naruto does with shadow clones, I bet you could use a few here or there to avoid being quite so chained to this office."

"Why the hell didn't I think of that? I bet that is how Minato did it. He always was smug about that particular secret."

Jiraiya laughed.

\- o -

Jiraiya managed to track the pair down just outside the walls of Konoha. It seemed they had schemed to take a mission together and were only just returning. He signaled them to halt.

Hayate said, "Jiraiya-sama, is there a problem?"

"Konoha is fine and you two are fine, though I'll want you Hayate to make an appointment with Tsunade when you get time."

"She is here."

"She is. I can give you her address."

Yugao asked, "While that is a relief, why exactly did you feel the need to approach us here?"

"I have a question for you; for both of you really."

"Oh," Yugao prompted.

"Simply put, the Hokage needs help running the place. I suspect that now that we thought of it he can use shadow clones to help, but he needs actual people he can trust. You both are talented and have the ability to lead and see that what needs done gets done. We are not asking you to be Jounin commander or anything like that. That job is filled. We are just asking you to take over some or rather all of the advisers duties that they are not doing."

Hayate asked, "Why us? Surely there are others?"

"Anyone from a clan is ruled out as possibly biased. The current advisers do not advise so much as manipulate. Kakashi might be able to do it, but he is better in the field, or possibly as Jounin sensei one of these days. We figured you two would have a diverse enough background to see that the job gets done. The Hokage has already implemented changes in the academy, partly with Danzo's suggestions, though he did of course scrub the list of really crazy stuff. The problem is he was too trapped in the office to go see the issues for himself."

Yugao asked, "Do you need a decision now?"

"No, it is not urgent, nor would it mean you give up your ninja skills or anything like that. You would in fact be considered on active duty while working. You may be even able to use shadow clones for part of it. The main thing is to spread the work around a bit. In an emergency, if the Hokage was unavailable, the Jounin commander was unavailable, and either I or Tsunade was unavailable then it would be you two in command. You should also know that we are hoping that Tsunade will agree to take the Hokage hat in a few years."

Yugao asked, "Would that mean it is only for a few years then?"

Jiraiya shrugged. "I doubt Tsunade-hime will just say hit the road to a system that actually works, and I further doubt that Shizune wants it all dropped on her lap, though she might do some of it, but I'd imagine if you really hated the job she would try to find someone else."

Yugao asked, "And Tsunade will look at Hayate..."

"The one has nothing to do with the other. Just ask, and if by some chance she refuses tell me, I'll see what I can do."

Hayate asked, "Did you need anything else?"

"Possibly. There is a young academy student that has considerable potential that might take to the sword. It's a bit early to tell yet. Actually, come to think of it there is another that has potential that you may want to look up first. Her name is Tenten. She should be graduating this year."

Yugao asked, "What makes you think she has potential?"

"I honestly can't answer that question right now."

"Fair enough," Yugao said. "Where can we find her?"

"Ask at the Higarshi weapons shop. The owner is her father."

"Will do," Hayate said.

"Thanks, and remember I'm not ordering anything here. I just believe that Tenten will become a solid Konoha ninja and that either or both of you two could possibly help her along the way."

\- o -

Ino considered her battle with Tsunade, for that is what it was. She knew her physical age was against her, but for awhile she truly thought Tsunade meant to kill her. It took every ounce of skill she had to manage to just survive. Tsunade only left when she had collapsed of chakra exhaustion, and even then she had personally carried her to the hospital. Even with all of her previous training she never remembered seeing her sensei so serious. In hindsight she knew it was a test. She just wondered if she had passed it.

\- o -

Tsunade met with Jiraiya again. Thankfully he was resisting making lewd remarks. Actually she was not thankful for that. If Jiraiya was not acting the fool then things were serious.

"There is no doubt that I trained her, though there are other influences. Some of them look like Orochimaru."

"That would be Anko's training. She apparently spent considerable time with the older Kunochi after she reduced her time with you."

"What should I do with her? Does she even want to learn more?"

Jiraiya shrugged. "Ask her perhaps?"

"She is clearly Jounin level now. I pressed her. I pressed her hard. She fought beautifully. I seriously doubt Shizune could have beat her or any newly minted Jounin. She may not have a lot of chakra yet, but she was very careful in its use. She was suffering from mild chakra exhaustion and near total physical exhaustion when I left her, and that was after she fought me for more than an hour, including several times healing in the middle of combat. There is no way in hell she got those instincts from anything less than a full blown war at least as bad as what we went through, if not worse."

"I know. Just remember the battles to be fought in the future will not be the stuff of mere Jounin, nor even Sannin. They need to be strong. We all do."

Tsunade nodded. "You are coming tomorrow to tell him?"

"Yes, I'll be there."

\- o -

Naruto was more than a little concerned when Inoichi spoke to him alone saying, "Jiraiya and Tsunade of the Sannin are coming by shortly to discuss the question you asked."

"Oh."

"Do you wish Hinata to be there? I believe she is more than strong enough, but the choice is yours."

"Ino already knows?"

"She does."

Naruto hesitated. After several seconds pause he asked quietly, "Is that why she looks at me like she does?"

Inoichi sighed. "My daughter has her own story to tell, but it is nothing to do with you, nor what is to be discussed. Just be patient with her please? She means the world to me."

"I'd like them both there."

Inoichi nodded. "I'll take care of it. Head to the main training area. I'll send everyone there."

\- o -

Naruto waited nervously even as Hinata took his right side. Ino sat before them and took their joined hands in hers. "If you two wish it, I'll tell you my story after this. Just remember that while the secret you will learn next is important to keep, my secret is even more so."

Naruto and Hinata's eyes widened as they tried to figure out what she could mean.

Jiraiya walked in and was followed by Tsunade. Ino took her place on Naruto's other side. Jiraiya and Tsunade sat down in front of them.

Jiraiya said, "I take it everyone here is ready to find the big secret?"

Naruto nodded hesitantly and Hinata did as well, even as she squeezed Naruto's hand more tightly.

Jiraiya said, "It all began the day Naruto was born. The fourth Hokage"

Ino squeezed Naruto's hand more tightly. "No. He deserves to know all of it."

"Young lady, I can't just.."

Ino said, "I will then. The Hokage can do with me what he will if he is offended. I believe that Naruto will keep the secret, as will Hinata."

Naruto looked hopefully at her as he and Hinata turned to look directly at her.

"The story began when the village began. Uchiha, Hyuuga, Uzumaki, Senju. They were the four founding families of Konoha. The Uzumaki had their own village. They lived on the island near what is known as Wave country now. Their village was know as the village hidden in the whirling tides. The Shodaime Hokage married Mito Uzumaki. Even then the feud between Uchiha and Senju was legendary, and made the feud between Uchiha and Hyuuga look like a small thing."

"The final battle between the Shodaime and Madara Uchiha created what we call the Valley of the End. Madara somehow got control of and used the demon we call Kyubi. His eye dojutsu gave him that power. The Shodaime with his wood release eventually won the battle. It was thought that Madara died that day, but his actual death would come later. After the battle the Kyubi was free of any control. The Shodaime knew he could not contain the creature forever. He was strong. His wood release could imprison it, but not forever."

"His wife Mito worked with him to seal the beast into herself, thus protecting everyone. She lived a long life; few ever knowing what she contained. Her strong Uzumaki lifeforce helped her keep it contained. Age comes to us all though and Mito could no longer contain the beast. Konoha asked our allies the Uzumaki if they could send another. They did. They sent Kushina Uzumaki to become the next Jailer of the beast; for only an Uzumaki could adapt to the beasts chakra. Kushina was your mother Naruto. Kushina, from what I've been able to research was a magnificent Kunochi. Her enemies knew her as the Red Death for her kenjutsu and sealing knowledge were very formidable."

Tsunade said, "Kushina was remarkable. I know she loved you very much Naruto. As did your father."

Naruto looked at her hopefully then back at Ino.

Ino asked, "Do you want to continue?"

"Sure, but this scoundrel can tell more about your father Naruto."

Jiraiya said, "Your father was my student Minato Namikaze." Their eyes widened. They all recognized that name. "He was a genius. I wasn't there when the Kyubi attacked, but I read all the reports. I learned from Ino that it was another Uchiha we thought dead that actually released the beast, killing your mother and indirectly your father as he sealed him into you, but yes your father loved you very much. He wanted you to be seen as a hero to Konoha, but it didn't happen. Many adults in Konoha know what you contain, but the idiots somehow think you are the Kyuubi, or that by punishing you they punish the Kyubi. All killing you would likely accomplish is to cause the Kyuubi to reform in five years or so and with no Uzumaki to seal it into it would likely rampage unchecked. Thousands if would likely die."

Hinata's grip was tighter than ever. Naruto asked, "What does this all mean for me?"

Jiraiya said, "We'll with as badly as we have kept the secret, there are no doubt many who will eventually figure out that you contain the Kyuubi. I also know of one group that will be active in the future that will likely hunt you for what you contain. It is why Ino has pushed for your training to be so rigorous, and why we have no plans to let up. We are going to be ready."

Naruto said, "But if they come after me..."

"No, Naruto-kun. No, I am not leaving!" said Hinata forcefully.

Ino smiled at her. She squeezed her own grip a bit tighter. "I'm here till the end as well. I know you have noticed that I am sometimes lost in thought. I lived through a future where things did not turn out well. In the end there was only you and I left from Konoha's ninja force. You chose to sacrifice your life. No, that is not right and I won't lie here. You somehow found how to make friends with the Kyubi. I don't know how, nor do I think you can just trust him now, but I do know you called him Kurama."

A pulse of chakra drifted through the room at her naming. "I know that it wasn't just your decision. You both worked together and gave your lives to send me back to give us the chance to change things. That is why I've worked so hard to help everyone become strong, and that is why I sometimes lose myself in thoughts. The future was not pretty and I won't go through it all now, but that is my story."

Naruto suddenly found himself before a great cage in a sewer of all places that seemed to be held together with a simple slip of paper with writing on it.

" **Ningen!** " the Kyubi roared.

Naruto looked up fearfully at the mighty beast. It was one thing to be tolled he contained it and another to see it.

"Tell the blond girl to come here. I wish to speak with her."

"No. I won't let you hurt her. I always wondered why she never used her mind transfer jutsu on me, but now I know. She must be afraid of you."

The Kyubi snarled. " **Do not be a fool boy. My word. She will not be harmed.** "

"Fine, I will tell them what you said, but no promises. You are not exactly known as the demon of kindness."

" **The Uchiha are a pestilence that should be wiped from this Earth! You were just told that one of them was responsible for controlling me, yet you doubt me!** "

"Look, I just don't want anything bad to happen to Hinata-chan or Ino-chan, okay?"

"And what will you pay me for that service?"

"Pay, what do you mean?"

"I can make it so my youki does not kill those two. In fact, I can make it so it will even help with healing them. It will be painful, but I can do it, if you allow it. My payment is I want a copy of the girl's memories. If my power purchased her passage, I intend to know why."

\- o -

Jiraiya was quite troubled when he heard Naruto's report. He turned to Ino, "Assuming the Hokage even considers this crazy idea, is it something your willing to do?"

"I will need my father with me. The pair of us might be strong enough to get out if it goes bad, but yes, I think it is worth the risk to give Kurama the information."

"What about his deal to do something to you to make you immune to his chakra?"

"That I am less certain about. I certainly wouldn't accept until I fully understood the consequences and then at least discussed it with everyone here. Don't get me wrong, I am willing to do what is necessary, but first I want to be sure it really is necessary or even a good idea."

"Agreed. Do nothing, not even sparring until I return. I will fetch the Hokage."

\- o -

The Hokage brought along Yugao and Hayate. Everyone ended up talking long into the night about the merits of it. Inoichi even flat out volunteered to do it by himself, though Ino did quickly point out a first generation copy directly from her would be better. In the end it was decided to permit it, but not to accept the Kyubi's payment until they heard more.

Ino and Inoichi stood with Naruto outside the great cage.

"Ningen. Good you have come.''

Inoichi said, "We have"

"I know. I was listening."

Inoichi nodded saying nothing.

"Very well, I will explain my offer. You can accept it or not, though it would benefit us both to do so. The offer is this. I will write up a demonic contract. In it I will offer to exchange one half of one tail of my essence to each of the kits in exchange for the same percentage of theirs."

"What?" Inoichi half screamed before the fox's killing intent pushed him to the floor.

" **Be silent Ningen.** What I offer is not done lightly. My chakra, given freely, will not fight them. Indeed they will each be made far stronger with it. Their chakra, given freely, will do something I cannot do on my own, though it will take a really long time with such a minuscule amount."

Ino said softly, "You're trying to regenerate your Yin half, but that was sealed inside Naruto's father."

"You know of that dark day then. I would much prefer to recover what was lost, but that day may never come, and if the future truly is this dark, I intend not to remain half a demon forever!"

Ino asked, "What all would your chakra do to us?"

"My chakra is denser and is more difficult to control, but considerably stronger. Given that half a tail of my power is far more chakra than even you currently have, you would have to relearn much, but yes, you could still heal others with it. More importantly you could kill others with it."

Naruto asked, "What about me when I'm trying to heal someone else?"

"The seal largely functions on your will, save it has various restrictions in it. If you will that I have the ability to pull back my chakra and you do not annoy me, I will do so when you ask it. I highly suggest you not do it too often. If I was desperate enough to aid you to send this one back, then you cannot turn down help often. Now, I have explained my offer. There is no time limit to it, provided that all you have said is true."

Ino asked, "Are there any additional side effects to receiving some of your chakra?"

"It is possible it will affect your life span, likely by making it longer. In the extreme case you might become immortal. My host has a similar potential, but only if I am eventually freed. Containing me will eventually kill him. The seal is too powerful for any other outcome. Oh, it is also possible it will affect your children, though likely only to make them stronger and perhaps some minor change like Naruto's whisker marks and likely that will fade by the next generation."

Inoichi asked, "Naruto is in no danger now is he? Mito lived a long life."

"She lived a long life for a normal human, but not for an Uzumaki. They could live almost twice as long."

Naruto asked, "Where would you go if we did eventually figure something out?"

Ino said, "That is something we do need to figure out, since freeing any of you, even if we all agreed that is to be done, would not stop someone else from sealing you."

"Give me the memories, including the one of you given your word that you will work on it. As long as we fight for the same cause I will help you."

Ino said, "Very well you have my word. If you help us, and if a way can be found where there is no needless death, where Naruto can survive the extraction and recover, and where we can be reasonably certain that you will not be used to cause needless death and destruction in the future, then yes, I will do what I can, to spend at least some of my time to work towards your and the other tailed beasts freedom. I can't promise we will find one, but I will try." She then formed the same white sphere she first formed for her father and willed it through the cage.

The Kyuubi's paw touched it and all seemed still for several seconds as the world just seemed to stop.

Then a few seconds later Kurama moved again. "So, they intended to try that crazy Moon Eye nonsense again. I'd rather be locked up in here than be exposed to that corruption. At least here those bastard eyes can't easily control me."

Ino said, "We don't intend to move much for a few years. The plan is to prepare first and then crush our enemies. Perhaps some may be dissuaded, but if not the stakes are too high not to finish them. I will give you an answer as to your offer another time."

"Just remember, the longer it is delayed the less the benefit and the more you have to relearn."

\- o -

Hinata listened closely to all they said. "Anything that affects my children affects the clan. I must speak with father of this."

Inoichi said, "I'll go with her. She is a guest of my clan. My escorting her will not look amiss."

After Inoichi and Hinata left, Ino looked at Tsunade, hesitance evident in her very bearing.

Tsunade said, "Make up your mind. You are Jounin skilled now, though you could be stronger. Jiraiya mentioned the idea of getting either Yugao or Hayate or both to train you. Well, they are here, you can ask them, ask me. Something."

Ino looked at Yugao and Hayate and quickly noted their curious expressions. Turning to face them all she said, "It really is a question of how I can help the most. I wish I could say I come from a world where more medics of Tsunade's caliber made the difference, but people surviving some of the battles we faced were not as common as I might have wished, though to be fair, without you Tsunade-sama many of us would have been dead long ago. I also am inclined to risk accepting Kurama's offer, which will no doubt totally hose my chakra control for awhile. I'm sorry, but if they will accept me as students, I think the sword will serve me better at this time."

She turned directly to Tsunade, "Later though, if you will still have me, I really do want to finish what I started. For now, if you need, or even want another student, well if you didn't already know it Sakura did eventually surpass you. You just have to deal with"

"Fan girl idiocy. Anko is dealing with it. I refuse. I might end up hurting her out of sheer frustration."

"And Anko is different how?" Ino asked.

"Not being me?" Tsunade suggested. "Fine, I'll make sure she is not dead. Happy?"

"Immensely."

\- o -

After Inoichi had left, Hinata led his daughter to his study where he considered her words carefully. When she was done he asked, "So, your friend is from the future. It explains much. Do you understand what you ask?"

"I believe so."

"Then please explain it to me. Let it be your first test as heir."

"The offer will dilute my purity as a Hyuga, which to the elders is bad. It will potentially increase my strength considerably, which to the elders is good. It will make learning medical jutsu more difficult, possibly making some skills impossible. The elders will not care one way or another there and may even see removing me from the path of a combat medic a good thing, though I have no intention of giving up."

"It will greatly increase my ability to protect my friends and clan. That is a key duty of heir. Because it may also pass onto my children, it may cause a rift in the clan. Fundamentally though, little of what I said matters, or at least I hope it will not."

"Why is that daughter?"

"I have studied the histories and while I know I am far too young to contemplate marriage, I see no other that would be acceptable to me other than Naruto Uzumaki heir to both the Uzumaki and the Namikaze clans."

"How does that matter? I know you had an interest in him before you knew he was a true Uzumaki or Namikaze for that matter."

"True, yet I also know that the Uzumaki bloodline is dominant. If I were to one day have his children, then there is a good chance that they would not have our eyes, and thus I would not be heir."

"You are correct. The Uzumaki do not have an obvious bloodline, and yet their strong chakra and longevity seem to be it. Nevertheless Hyuga have married Uzumaki in the past. None have produced anything but normal eyes."

Hiashi continued to study his daughter. "You believe that abandoning your duty as daughter heir may best serve the clan?"

"I have been studying seals along with everything else. Either Naruto-kun or I will find a way to remove the curse from my family, but after having done so, I do not believe I could be accepted as a leader, particularly given how tainted I will be with demon chakra. Hanabi must lead, or another must lead, but if my clan is in trouble I will of course serve."

"Is accepting the Kyubi's chakra and giving your own truly necessary?"

"Today I finally understood Ino's eyes. She believes it is necessary, or is at least unwilling not to take the chance."

"I will give my permission, but there are conditions."

"Name them."

"First, there will be no talk of you not being heir. Should we be required to change that, we will talk, but right now you remain my choice and I see nothing in your story to give me reason to change that."

Hinata's eyes widened in surprise.

"Do not be surprised. The job of a leader is to lead, not make excuses. So far, you have shown more potential there than your sister. I have tried hard to make you strong, because I knew it was necessary for you not to be destroyed by the whims of the elders. I am sorry for that. I very much fear I almost destroyed your strength in the process."

Hinata looked up at him and gave him a true smile of gratitude.

Hiashi paused for several seconds before recovering himself. "For just a moment you truly reminded me of Hitomi." The surprise was clear on her face. "Hinata, I think they killed her. I can't prove it, but I think they did."

Hinata's eyes widened to a nearly comic extent.

"I'm not telling you this for you to be afraid, but for you to be ready. Tell your friends if you think it will help. I will not have another of my family taken from me."

Hinata nodded.

"Second, I will be there. Third, you and your friends will keep the origin of this change a secret. We may even invent a more palatable story. Understood?"

"I understand father. I will take your lessons to heart and I will ask Lady Tsunade if she will spend extra time on teaching me to protect myself from poisons."

"Thank you daughter." Tears fell from his eyes, as they also fell from hers, yet he could not hug her.

They were surprised when Hanabi came in. She saw their expressions and immediately asked, "What is going on?"

"Hinata here has been telling me about her training. Perhaps she could show you a bit of it."

Hinata looked at him curiously, but then bow her head slightly in acknowledgment. She then turned to Hanabi and gestured her towards her.

Hanabi launched into a perfect gentle fist series only for Hinata to flow around them like water. This angered Hanabi causing her to increase her speed at the cost of her accuracy.

Hinata continued to flow around the attacks. "Hanabi, you are making a critical error. Do you know what it is?"

"Stand still!"

"Hanabi, you can never let your anger overcome your training. It can so quickly end in your death and the death of those you care for. Your form was near perfect when you started, yet look at it now. Sharpen it up! You are better than this!"

Hanabi looked up in surprise even as her sister continued to seemingly effortlessly avoid her attacks. "Why do you not attack?"

"I have never wanted to hurt you, but perhaps that is my sin. Forgive me sister."

Hanabi blinked in surprised before Hinata blurred through a set of thirty two palms, gently but completely closing every chakra point she touched.

Hinata then grabbed her and gently lowered her to the ground. "Your training is not the problem. Continue it, but do not be limited by it, also do not be limited by your emotions. You are allowed to feel, but you are not permitted to let your feelings cause you to act rashly in combat."

Hanabi looked up at her in wonder even as Hinata gently and painlessly restored every chakra point she sealed. "Show me something else Hinata!"

Hinata smiled at her, then picked up the glass of water she had been drinking. Seeing it almost gone, she touched the glass of water her father had been drinking, getting a small nod from him. With but a gesture the water flowed from both glasses and pooled around her hands like it was a living thing. With another gesture she sent the water back into the glasses.

"I'm not very good yet I'm afraid, but I will get better. Actually, I do have one more trick to show that may benefit Hanabi more than me. My affinity is water. I have only learned the one lightning jutsu and it is weak, yet I wonder what a master from our clan could do."

She went through a series of hand signs before lightly touching her sister.

"Ow!"

"It is a D ranked jutsu called static shock. It is nearly useless as it is for me in battle as it takes too long. In time I may improve on it. If Hanabi could could learn to tame lightning to say the point of the second Hokage did to water, well that would be formidable indeed."

Her father said, "I have a lightning affinity and a secondary affinity to earth. Your mother had a strong affinity to water, and a lesser affinity to wind." He focused his chakra and electrical sparks shot between his fingers.

"Can you teach me father?" asked Hanabi.

"Perhaps. We shall have to obtain some testing paper to test your affinity. Not having a lightning affinity would not mean you could not use it, but it is usually easier to learn your primary affinity first, as Hinata is doing. Hinata's teacher wished to speak with me, so I must attend that first. If you wish to begin your training you can do so by trying to cause your chakra to spark between your fingers. I do warn you though, this first step usually takes months. I expect I will be back later today to check on your progress."

\- o -

Hinata was more than a little scared when Ino's father brought her before the Kyuubi. Ino brought herself and Naruto of course needed no help to come.

She contained her fear and walked up to the great cage before bowing her head briefly.

The Kyuubi looked at her with incredulity. He then looked over as Ino and Naruto joined her there, each taking her hand.

A flash of fire appeared inside the prison forming into paper that further formed into elegant cursive script. It floated just inside the cage so they could read it easily.

"Take it, or not. The choice is yours."

Naruto started forward.

"No, It is not your choice Ningen. I have already promised no harm to them."

Naruto looked really hesitant. "You don't have to do this," he pleaded. They turned to him and smiled. Hinata released his hand and took Ino's as they together reached through the bars and pulled.

As the contract was pulled through it split in two and flowed into them, even as a stream of blue pulled out of them and flowed back into the Kyubi.

The two kunochi's shot into the middle of the air as they were bathed in red fire. Naruto tried to reach them, even as Inoichi grabbed him. "Hinata is fine, I still have a link to her. It is unpleasant, but she is okay."

Naruto pointed. "How can she be okay when she is on fire?" A glance at the Kyubi showed that the blue stream had already been incorporated, making his red just the tiniest bit more blue.

"I don't know, but I read the contract, and I don't think it would be wise to disrupt the process."

"That would be wise Ningen. I have kept my word. The lifeforce around them is neutral and untainted as I promised, but they must find the strength to make it their own. It will take time."

"How long?" Inoichi asked.

"Days perhaps? How should I know? I have never done this before."

"I can't maintain Hinata's link for days. I'll be out of chakra in a couple hours at best."

"Then leave. The power is theirs, it matters not where they finish at."

Naruto said, "I can't leave Hinata-chan here!"

"As agreed, I have done what can be done. The rest is yours."

Inoichi said, "I'm going to try pulling Hinata out, but if there is any resistance, I'll have to leave her here and come back. Will you be okay, or would you like me to stay longer?"

Naruto said, "I'll be okay."

"I'm going to keep the loose link with Hinata active. It will make it harder to recover chakra, but if anything happens I will return."

Naruto nodded, even as he tried to find a place to sit and watch his friends continue to burn yet not burn. He blushed furiously when he realized that whatever passed for clothes in this place was gone. The Kyubi snickered.

\- o -

Inoichi awoke, only to have Hiruzen immediately ask for a report.

"They are fine I think. Everything went fine."

"Why are they not awake then, and what is with the chakra surrounding them?"

Inoichi looked and sure enough the red orange chakra fire surrounding them in the mindscape was also around them here. "The Kyubi explained that they could not absorb it that quickly; that it would take time."

Tsunade said, "We'll that makes sense. At lease the furball figured out a less messy way than a jinchuuriki is usually made."

"Is that what they are now then?" the Hokage asked.

"No," Hiashi stated as he viewed them with his Byakugan. "A jinchuuriki is a human containing another entity. This chakra is not pooling somewhere within them. It is becoming theirs."

They continued to watch for another hour before Hiashi said, "I must return. If I am gone longer it will draw attention that cannot be allowed."

The Hokage said, "I will send someone if anything changes."

Hiashi bowed briefly before walking out the door. A few minutes later the Hokage said, "I too must go. The shadow clone I left won't last forever."

\- o -

Jiraya watched for another hour before declaring that he had tasks that needed to be done.

Tsunade said, "Go, I will watch over them. Even I can see this is winding down, though it may be a week at this rate. At the very least it will give me a chance to look at Hayate."

Her initial scans of Hayate surprised her such that she repeated them twice. "It is not just his lungs. It is systemic."

Yugao said, "We know, but can you treat it?"

"Perhaps, I will need to talk with Shizune and the letcher."

Hayate asked, hopefully, "What do you mean?"

"The disease appears to be a result of an obscure poison, but the poison has attacked your bone marrow. It is not dead. That would be easier. It is just almost useless. Your chakra seems to be inherently healing you somewhat or you would be in worse shape."

"What are my options?"

"The best option would be to kill off and remove all the bad marrow and regenerate it from a good section. The problem is I can't find a good section and I checked thoroughly. I will check again and have Shizune check, but there doesn't seem to be anything to work with."

"And the second best option?"

"I may be able to develop a seal. I'll have to look into it, but it would assist your chakra with continually healing your body. If it works you will be healthy..."

"But?"

"The continuous drain on your chakra may shorten your life. I'm not sure. It depends greatly on the seal. I am no seal master. If we mess up the seal it could accelerate your decay and if it is too aggressive, well your life will be shortened considerably."

Yugao asked, "How long would it take to do that?"

"I don't know. I'm prepared to start myself, but Jiraiya is better. Naruto may even have some insights. Uzumaki usually do. I got part of what I needed for my own seals from Kushina when she was only a few years older than Naruto is now. My recommendation is to continue the maintenance treatments. If it takes a year or two to work out a seal, well it is better than messing it up."

Yugao asked, "Could I give him some of my marrow?"

"In theory yes. In practice it would almost certainly kill him. No one knows quite how all that works, but the donated cells tend to attack the host. Sure some things like dojustsu can be transplanted, but even then they are usually a continual drain on the new body."

"So we wait?" Hayate said.

"No, I will begin now. I have nothing better to do. Just don't expect me to find the solution anytime soon. I just need to find some parchment."

\- o -

Hayate had to return to his duty. Yugao took turns watching over the children and watching Tsunade draw design after design after design before balling them up and throwing them away. Perhaps she was not a seal master, but she represented something she had almost forgotten. She represented hope.

\- o -

Tsunade, Shizune, Yugao, and Inoichi's wife Noriko, took turns feeding and caring for them. The end seemed to always be getting further away. Their rate of absorption continued to slow as time passed.

Finally on the nineteenth day after they started the last wisps of red around Hinata faded and she woke up. She immediately tried to get up only to almost fall as Yugao steadied her. "Bathroom" she squeaked.

An amused Yugao helped her to the bathroom. She was soon joined by Shizune who checked her over and then helped her remove her clothing before giving her a quick bath. They then took her to a separate room where Noriko brought her a simple meal of oatmeal and water.

"Eat. I know Shizune already checked you and no doubt Tsunade will be here to repeat it soon. You should eat while you can."

Hinata hesitantly brought a spoon to her mouth, then after a bit began to dutifully eat more quickly, finishing the bowl in only a few minutes and then downing the water. "I am going back to the others now." She then dashed out the door to the amusement of Inoichi's wife.

Shizune came in a few minutes later and said, "Skipped out already?"

"She did. I must say you two did a remarkable job of keeping their muscle tone up. She had no weakness at all that I could tell."

"That wasn't only us. A shinobi normally heals faster, even if they have no training in medical chakra. This was something a bit more than that though. It is too early to tell, but it is possible that they have something similar to Naruto's healing factor."

"And what about the Kyuubi? What could he do with what he received from the girls?"

"I'm honestly unsure. It makes sense that he could not produce more yin chakra without something to start with, but as to what he could do with that small amount, I just don't know."

\- o -

Hinata had watched over the pair for several minutes before her father startled her by opening the door. She activated her eyes only to cry out in pain and nearly collapse before her father caught her.

"What is the matter daughter?"

"Searing pain when I activated my Byakugan."

Shizune came in and quickly used her mystic palm jutsu to check Hinata's eyes. "I'm detecting what looks like light damage from chakra overuse. Keep your eyes closed. I'll get Tsunade. A few minutes won't matter, so I'd prefer she handle this." Shizune quickly exited the compound.

Hiashi activated his own eyes and looked at his daughter. "I believe I understand. You accidentally used far too much chakra daughter."

"I see. Can you tell if any of the damage is permanent?"

"I do not believe so. Can you tell us anything else about what happened?"

"It was odd. I felt Ino near me the entire time. I still do actually, but as time passed I also felt Naruto. I think I could point to either of them in the dark from across the village." She turned half way around then pointed behind her. "Ino" She pointed again. "Naruto."

"You were correct with both. Can you tell us anything else? Do you think Ino will finish soon?"

"I'm not sure. Ino had a lot more chakra than I had, probably from her time travel. She was actually pushing a lot of her own to me during it, to try to balance it all. I thought she succeeded. Did she?"

He again activated his eyes as he examined both of them. Only wisps of red remained. "Both of you have chakra that is a bright violet, though yours is a bit closer to a lavender color. Your chakra capacities seem similar, with Ino's capacity being perhaps a bit more."

"Good. I owe Ino a debt. She kept Kurama's chakra from totally overwhelming my human chakra."

"And she you I think. Neither of your tenketsu could handle much more chakra. Ino was already unreasonably strong for her age. I am uncertain how to recommend training this, but taking it slowly seems highly advisable."

"I agree," said Tsunade as she walked through the door before quickly repeating Shizune's scan. "That's odd. I know Shizune said the damage was light, but I'm not detecting any at all. Could you open your eyes?"

Hinata did so, only for Tsunade to repeat the scan. "You're eyes are fine, perfect even. Just don't try to activate them, at least until we get your chakra under a bit of control."

Hinata nodded.

"Why don't you try creating a shadow clone? I'm sure you know how it works by now?"

Hiashi raised an eyebrow at that.

"What?" Tsunade asked. "It is the perfect jutsu for those with crappy chakra control. Just throw a bunch of chakra and get the sign basically right and it works. Any idiot with a lot of chakra could get it."

Hiashi noticed Naruto twitch on his bed roll.

Hinata formed the cross sign and whispered, "Kage Bunshin," only to have six badly form clones appear before vanishing in smoke.

Tsunade said, "Visualization failure probably. Think of every aspect of your body, remember and imagine it in every detail and try again."

Hinata did so, only to have ten perfect clones appear.

Tsunade pointed to one. "You, I want you to use as little chakra as possible and attempt to activate your eyes."

The clone did so, her Byakugan flaring as she took in everything around them. Her clone held it for almost half a minute before it destabilized and exploded.

"How are you feeling?" Tsunade asked.

"Fine. My clone was having trouble regulating chakra to the cloned eyes."

"Not unexpected. Wait a few minutes then have the next try, but under no circumstances do you deliberately let more than one clone dispel at a time, and even then, wait a bit between them, got it? Also, do not even think of using them in combat until I tell you otherwise. Shadow clones may be easy to create if you have the chakra. That is not the reason they are a kinjutsu. Dispelling too many at once can damage an unprotected mind, particularly a younger mind."

"What about Naruto-kun?" she asked in near panic.

"That lump is fine. His house guest seems to prevent any brain damage, though it is hard to tell at times."

Hinata glared at her. She grinned.

It was almost an hour later when Hinata finished. It was also when Ino and Naruto woke.

After bathing and being checked Ino repeated Hinata's initial training while Naruto started looking at a bunch of discarded parchment he found that seemed quite interesting.

\- o -

It was nearly a month later when Hinata felt comfortable using her Byakugan again. It was not just a matter of refining her suddenly lousy chakra control, but of getting her eyes used to the changed chakra. To the bonus, the enhanced chakra seemed to almost double her range. She was already almost matching what her father could do, which was remarkable for her age.

Two months later Tsunade entered the training hall and again saw Naruto at a table with a brush drawing something quite similar to what she had first drawn. "Any luck brat?"

He turned around. "Luck? I'm not sure. Jiraiya refused to tell me what these drawings were. They seem to be some kind of chakra conversion array. Here." He fumbled through the papers till he found one on the very bottom. It had an intricate seal full of curving script. He handed it to her. "Channel a bit of regular chakra in there. It won't work quite right for me anymore unless I change it, but it should work for you."

She did so and was surprised to see how quickly it shifted to what looked like pure medical chakra.

"Stop." Naruto said.

She did so. "Why did you ask me to stop?"

"It is still a bit unstable. Push too much chakra through it and the seal crumbles. Part of converting to medical chakra is removing certain, I don't know, frequencies of normal chakra and those have nowhere to go. They eventually cause the seal to fail."

"I see."

"No, that is only part of the problem. Inoichi let my clones raid his library. Uncontrolled medical chakra is just that uncontrolled. It heals everything, even bad things like cancer. I honestly have no idea how to fix that."

"Yes, I had already figured that out as well," Tsunade said. "You should not underestimate how valuable something like this could be. Sure it might cause cancer or who knows what else, but if your guts are bleeding out I doubt you will care. Does the seal fail in a safe way? If it does, it could still be used in an emergency by those without training."

"No. That one will probably create a small explosion. Its nothing too exiting, but in the middle of a wound it would be bad."

"Can you make one that will fail without making things worse, or at least be reasonably sure not to fail for a set time?"

"I think I can have it visibly show how much is left. It will take some time, but as long as they watched what they were doing..."

"My original design was for Hayate. He needs slow but continuous healing, so much so, that were he to get enough to become healthy he would never leave the hospital."

Naruto's expression shifted to one of surprise. "I just thought he had a cold he couldn't get rid of."

"No, it is significantly more seriously than that. Jiraiya held off telling you since you seemed to be more imaginative at times when you were left without a clear task. We wanted to see where that would go. I admit I initially left a bunch of my early notes where you would find them for the same reason."

"Oh."

"Let that be a lesson to you in looking underneath the underneath. Ninja at my level seldom make careless mistakes like that, particularly if they reach my age."

Naruto nodded.

"The question is, why couldn't you make a design that incorporated what you just said, but was also much slower? We don't need nor do we want instant healing. It just increases the cancer risk further. Perhaps it could be something Hayate could apply on his back daily? It wouldn't be a true cure, but it may work until we found one. Of course, he may have to learn to channel chakra there, but that should not be beyond his skills."

"I think I can do that. In fact, the slower rate would open up a lot of possibilities. Here let me show you. Hinata-chan or Ino-chan may have some ideas as well, but this is what I'm considering so far."

He then grabbed a ball point pen and fetched a huge sheet of paper. "This is going to take too long." he muttered. He set the pen down and created three more clones and they each grabbed a fresh pen before they started drawing.

\- o -

Tsunade took the original copy he drew with her as she left that day. Right after she made an appointment with the Hokage, Kakashi, and Jiraiya. She unrolled the massive seal array on the lighted table and watched their eyes light up. "Yes, I know it is useless being done in ball point, but this is Naruto's idea to create a treatment for Hayate. I know he has been working on it for awhile, but I was stunned when he created three shadow clones and drew this in like ten minutes! I thought Kushina was good, but this is ridiculous? Can this even work?"

"There is only one way to find out," Jiraiya said as he retrieved from a shelf an identical but much higher quality piece of paper. He then fetched sealing supplies and began to painstakingly recreate the seal, but this time using the proper tools.

Hiruzen said, "That is going to take a couple hours at minimum. Jiraiya is fast, but anything that big has to be done with care and tested with a shadow clone. Naruto is using shadow clones for testing right?"

Tsunade said, "All I saw him use them for is drawing. He didn't want to apparently spend two hours just to draw and idea he wasn't even satisfied with."

"Kakashi, go say hello to Naruto and kindly remind him that all experimental seals should only be tested by shadow clones; preferably well away from important and or living things."

"I'll do that. It shouldn't take long. I'll be back to see how this goes."

Hiruzen continued to study the array. "It is not just a conversion matrix. There is vast construct of interrelated triggers and monitors. Had he drawn it with the proper ink and compressed the array I doubt we could figure out any of it."

Tsunade stared down at the parchment. It was a bit harder to see with Jiraiya's partially reworked form covering it, but there was enough to get some understanding. "I think it is a life support array."

"What do you mean?"

"I think the seal adjusts its healing including its rate of healing and location based on all the logic and various triggers in the array. It won't work, at least not long. It might be enough for a day or so though. He just doesn't know enough about the human body, but the work is audacious. Even like it is, it may be priceless. We should make sure Naruto's work gets locked up securely. What can be used to heal can usually be adapted to kill."

Jiraiya looked up. "Should I finish this?"

"If we have a prisoner or someone with nothing to lose, then sure, it might be useful."

"I have one. The former academy teacher Mitsuki was a traitor. He is in our prison for now. I was considering ordering his execution, but if you have a better use for him..."

"I do. I'll run the tests. Keep others out of this that don't need to know. This array should remain secret. We will most likely need to kill him and destroy his body shortly afterward if this doesn't do it."

"I'll ask Ibiki to make the arrangements. Do you want to do it this evening?"

"Yes. If nothing else I really need to better understand how this actually works if I'm to help Naruto perfect it and sadly there is nothing like an actual test."

"You do know that we don't keep a lot of prisoners?"

Tsunade said, "While I hate to go all Orochimaru, I do know we typically do a couple bandit clean ups a month. Surely a more experienced team could acquire a few more. I don't like it, but as long as we limit it to people that would be killed anyway, and don't deliberately drag it out then it is something we likely will need to do."

The Hokage said tiredly, "I still can hardly believe Orochimaru experimented on innocents, and I foolishly let him live." His expression looked pained before it settled to a more neutral one. "I'll have to send ANBU if I wanted to keep it quiet. Is this all just for Hayate?"

"No, if a new Shinobi war is on the horizon we need something like this. It could mean the difference between surviving and not, particularly if we applied one of these to our people before they went into battle."

"That could change the face of war," Sarutobi said.

Jiraiya looked particularly pained as he heard that, but he continued his work.

After they tested the design Ibiki wanted more made. He said they would make his work easier, and he didn't care a lick that anything more than brief use resulted in a terminal diagnosis. He thought that was a plus. The Hokage indicated that due to secrecy he would not consider creating more without considerable need. Nevertheless, Naruto's original version was saved and stored in the secure Hokage archives after first being sealed by Jiraiya.

\- o -

At the end of what would have been their second year of the academy they had recovered their control almost back to where it was before their deal.

Their key accomplishment for the year was the sealing array Naruto, Hinata, Ino, Jiraiya, and Tsunade invented. Each contributed parts. Naruto contributed the initial design. Hinata helped modify it by giving the others feedback on how it affected the clone bodies it interacted with. Her training gave her a unique insight in how chakra flowed into the human body from outside it.

Ino actually had considerable knowledge in how to heal, and in particular how to heal using the absolute last wisps of chakra one had. It took considerable effort, but they managed to translate much of Ino's experiences into refinements on the seal. It certainly wasn't a substitute for even a bad medic nin, but it was remarkable in its own right.

Tsunade contributed how to modify the general design to more closely work with Hayate's unique problem. It actually made the design less complex, but better for Hayate overall since less chakra was wasted in healing things that really didn't need healed.

Jiraiya actually contributed the key, at least in Hayate's case. The general design allowed rapid healing if rapid healing was needed. The more chakra that flowed through it the faster the scroll deteriorated. It wasn't a fraction of what Tsunade's creation rebirth technique could do, but then it also wasn't nearly as dangerous and didn't require a top grade medic ninja to control it.

Jiraiya's contribution was a way to both store and release the otherwise unused parts of chakra that normally decayed the seal matrix. He designed an intricate seal system that linked with its counterpart on Hayate's favorite sword. The combination resulted in something nearly as effective as traditional chakra flow, but instead of Hayate having to supply additional chakra it came from what the medical seal didn't use. Jiraiya's contribution allowed the creation of a permanent seal that ended up covering much of Hayate's body until the final activation hid the work.

Hayate was now back to full health. Tsunade's best guess was that it would not affect his life too much unless he allowed his chakra to drift too low. The seal would automatically stop drawing from his chakra at that point which would allow his condition to relapse. She recommended limited duty. He could go all out, but if he used too much chakra his condition would worsen and he may not recover fully from it. Even with that limitation both Hayate and Yugao could not but smile. It was a new lease on life for both of them.

There was one additional outcome for the year. First Naruto was able to safely heal Hinata or Ino. Tests on shadow clones of others still yielded the opposite results. They didn't think it would be fatal, but then if he tried to heal an already bad injury that could change. For the most part the Kyuubi seemed to be keeping his word, but while the Kyuubi could withhold chakra if asked, it didn't instantly remove the demonic chakra in his system. Ino and Hinata were just no longer affected by the residual energy. The only way for him to become good at healing would be to have the Kyuubi hold it back continually, which would also limit Naruto's potential in combat.

Both Hinata and Ino were also still able to heal Naruto, which was not new. What was new was that every time they did, his chakra became a touch more violet colored, as if the process of healing him was somehow mixing the kyuubi chakra in his system with his own. The effect would fade with time, but only partially, and each additional time more would remain.

Tsunade didn't see any negative effects to Naruto from the process. In fact, if anything, it seemed to improve his control. Naruto brought up the idea of trying to accelerate the effect, but that was quickly vetoed by Tsunade, Jiraiya, and the Hokage. They may not see any obvious downsides, but they also weren't going to experiment without need. Naruto would just have to deal with his chakra control issues as they were.

\- o -

Kurama continued to watch. In some ways this year yielded less rapid of advancement than the previous did, but in other ways it was more notable. That remarkable seal; their mastery of their primary elements without hand signs.

Ino had mastered Earth and Water before, but now with the his infusion of Yang chakra into her she now had the beginnings of that accursed wood release. It wasn't a true kekkei genki. She just had all the pieces and the skill to make it work. She would need a lot of practice to make it work well. He had little doubt that she would achieve it though. When was another matter.

Perhaps their most remarkable achievement was their least obvious one. It would be interesting to see what they could do in a real battle.

The fox himself considered his own work. It war hardly as splashy, yet his red orange chakra was just a tad more bluish. The color was unexpected and slightly annoying, but the effect was useful. The inside of his cage was now much like a warm meadow. He could do little outside of the cage, but for now, it was enough. The real test was whether or not he could eventually develop a defense against those accursed eyes. He had hoped the chakra from the Hyuga might be enough, but so far it had not been. Still, he had time. He was immortal. One way or another though there really was no choice in the matter. Either he would die, or the rest of that accursed clan would. That perversion of father's eyes would be removed from this world. He would not be controlled again.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

Sakura tried to figure out where her life went wrong and why she was running like mad from a giant snake. She still remembered almost a year ago when she hadn't been able to keep ahead. Sure the snake hadn't killed her, but it had swallowed her whole. She spent an hour inside a giant snake and could only wonder when the digestion would begin. Ever since then when that sadistic bitch said run she ran all out with no stopping.

Today was supposed to be special. The very idea of a special day made her shutter. She hated special days! There, in the clearing. Was that the rest of her academy class? It didn't matter. The snake would stop when she got where she was supposed to go, if it didn't eat her first. Always had to remember that last bit. She ran harder and leaped. Glancing back she nearly panicked. She then noticed how close the ground was. Quickly she directed chakra to her legs and absorbed the impact while preparing to dodge again in case the snake didn't break off. The snake stopped and turned around. She dared let herself take a breath, but just a small one.

Anko appeared with a grin. "Hello kiddies. That was just a small example of what your future holds. Anybody wanna quit?"

Sakura was not surprised when a couple of the useless fangirls did just that. How the hell did she survive being like that for most of her life?

"Now that the trash is gone, I've decided my plaything needs some playmates, and what is so awesome about it, is, as senior plaything she gets to choose."

Sakura looked at her in mild surprise. She had gotten few choices since she started with Anko-san.

Anko pulled a scroll out of her pack and tossed it to her.

"In there are the current candid evaluations of the class, including the two that ran away, but you can ignore them. Pick two for your team. Remember, your life will depend on them. Remember also that if you pick poorly, well I have so many pets that miss your company. You also can't reveal anything in that scroll ever. Got it?"

"Hai." Sakura gulped as she absently unsealed the scroll while the others looked on. Basic sealing was one of many skills Anko had taught her. It took her minutes to read through the compiled information. She was a bit disappointed when she read that Sasuke was unstable, a likely flight risk, and unlikely to work well on a team. They even gave him forty percent odds of getting a team mate killed due to his tunnel vision with regards to killing his brother. To the plus was his skills, but how the hell could you count on someone like that? She moved on.

Shino was an A-1 team player. Sure he was creepy as hell, but he had the skills. Kiba had skills. It was cautioned that the Jounin commander might have to seriously educate him on when risks were necessary and acceptable. Shikimaru was listed as dead last, but the note said to assume his academy scores were meaningless. In fact it was notable that he had the exact minimum score to pass, no more, no less. His potential IQ was over two hundred. Potential team leadership skills if he can be motivated. Empathy rating was solid. He would defend his team. Motivation is suggested to be in the form of protecting his team.

Chouji also had potential. Motivation there was also required. It noted him for a potential future Ino, Shika, Cho pairing, though also noted that Ino was currently planned for another team. Looking more she could see that both Naruto and Hinata were planned for that team. Interesting. There were others, but none were expected to pass the final genin tests. Perhaps not surprisingly, not many of those were even still around. She would have to dare a question.

"Am I permitted to make the best team possible, or must I try to balance things so another solid team is feasible?"

Anko smiled. "Make a decision. Explain it. If I agree with it, I will try to convince the Hokage. If I don't, its more exercise for you."

The others looked on though amazingly said little. That might have something to do with the killer intent Anko sent their way periodically.

Crap. No clear answer. Well she might as well try for not dying. What would be the best team anyway? Shikamaru and Shino? She wasn't sure if that was a good idea. She was almost as smart as Shikamaru and he might be more valuable on another team. He didn't bring any real skill beyond his potential intelligence and clan jutsu. There might also be some benefit in leaving the Shikamaru Chouji combination intact.

Kiba and Sasuke? No. Can't risk Sasuke. Too unstable. Kiba and Shino? That had potential. It would leave Shikamaru with Sasuke, but hell someone had to take him.

"I'd like Kiba and Shino."

"Why?" asked a curious Anko.

Oh good, she had to explain in front of everyone. "Shikamaru and I have similar intelligence, even if as a Nara he likely is better at planning. Still, I think it would gain more for the leaf it he is on a separate team. Choji's father worked with the elder Nara and made a solid team. I cannot see a good reason to separate them. Kiba has good skills and the rough spots he has with rushing in and such can be dealt with, and well, Shino is just a solid candidate that I'm sure I'll be able to rely on. For that matter Kiba has the same pack mentality as his clan, and that is only a bonus."

"True, now what about the Uchiha?"

The Uchiha looked like he was about to explode at being passed over.

She knew why she had skipped him. Must she drag this out. She sighed. "Sasuke does not seem to be a good candidate for the teamwork required of a Konoha genin team."

"Correct, if carefully phrased. Now, everyone but Shino and Kiba back to the academy." Sasuke glared at her as he left. Surprisingly so did Shikamaru, even if he quickly hid it. She smirked back at him. There was no way in hell she was getting eaten by a giant snake again, not if she could help it.

After they were gone Anko asked, "Does anyone have a problem with this team?"

Kiba said, "I don't rush in!"

Shino said nothing, nor did Sakura.

"Good, then we are team Anko. I don't particularly care about whatever the number is." She picked up the scroll from Sakura and resealed it. "Nothing needs approved unless we wanted Sasuke. Another Jounin felt he owed a debt to the Uchiha clan and wanted to try to salvage him, if it was possible."

Shino asked, "Does that mean we no longer need to go to the Academy for another year?"

"Your academy days are done. I have a year to make you into solid genin. Most of your training will be with me. Unfortunately a good deal of Sakura's time will be taken by Lady Tsunade who has agreed to train Sakura now that she is ready for it. You may also be trained by others. If you have an area where you would like to focus, and it helps the team, I will try to find a way to make it happen. Now, who knows their chakra affinity?"

Only Sakura raised her hand.

"That is a pity. Here take these sheets. Channel a bit of chakra and see what happens."

Kiba did his first. The paper burst into fire.

"We'll that one is self explanatory. It appears to be a strong affinity as well. It is also my own so I should have no problem teaching you. Shino?"

Shino channeled chakra into the paper only to have it crumble into small crystals.

"Interesting. That is most certainly not Earth, yet it seems closest to Earth. We'll have to show it to the Hokage sometime and see what he thinks. It could be quite useful. Sakura, do something."

Sakura created two seal less mud clones. Shino raised his eyebrows and even Kiba looked interested.

"Have them attack."

Sakura didn't even blink. She directed her clones at Shino and Kiba who quickly jumped back.

Shino sent out a hoard of bugs that quickly pulled out all the chakra from the clone while Kiba tore through it with Inuzuka taijutsu.

"Good, had you had problems with Sakura's admittedly weak mud clones, I might have had to send you back anyway. As Sakura will tell you, now that you are a member of my team you will expect attacks anytime day or night and you will be able to defend yourself, or at need a teammate. Now, I'm going to go register us with the Hokage. Sakura, tell them about your training."

Sakura paled as Anko left. She really hated special days. Now she would have to keep the newbies from being eaten or else face Anko's wrath.

\- o -

Danzo looked on to the reports that had been gathered the past two years. He should be pleased. Hiruzen had accepted many of his suggestions. The academy was doing far better than before and was set to turn out some of the strongest genin in a decade. In fact two teams had already formed, which promised to be credible. He was a bit surprised that Anko proved to be a good teacher but he could not deny the results she had achieved so far.

The third likely team of Sasuke, Shikamaru, and Chouji was well a disaster waiting to happen, mostly because of Sasuke's instability. The fact that they were apparently considering both Asuma and Kakashi for that team, at least initially did mitigate it somewhat. Apparently the Hokage considered Sasuke a likely target. Of who didn't need discussed. That much was obvious. Itachi's threat also complicated things.

What was more irritating was he didn't see a way to fix the mess that Hiruzen would accept. It wasn't as if he could fake the boy's death and get him some proper training. He was too visible, and with the damage already done to the boy from Itachi it was less than certain than even his proper training would be enough. No, the logical conclusion was to give him a lobotomy or something. Give him just enough smarts to not be a pain to care for and use him to hopefully produce some non useless Uchiha. Of course, it was important that he first activate his eyes so again, there was nothing to be done. Forced activations were as apt to kill the subject as product a useful result. Those eyes were annoying like that.

Come to think of it, it was past time he started figure out who to use to create those non useless Uchiha. How exactly do you balance a clan with serious mental stability issues? Perhaps Kurenai and Tsunade's assistant could be induced to do so? Ordinary civilians tended to be useless as the offspring tended to have weaker chakra reserves. Could he take advantage of that mess in Kiri in some way, either for this task or to bolster his own forces? It bear thought.

So too did the overall reason of why things were changing. He didn't disagree with most of the changes, but there was a hand stirring the pot, and it was not his. That was not acceptable.

\- o -

Ibiki entered the Hokage's office. He had just finished the final session. Ino Yamanaka had apparently asked and somehow gotten permission to in secret conduct the final interview with Kabuto. That sweet little girl was more than enough to scare him. He was still surprised that Kabuto was originally intended for execution without interrogation, but he did not ask questions of the Hokage, nor did he doubt Kabuto needed to be killed..

Normally when a Yamanaka works over someone the subject has no visible reaction. Not so with Kabuto. He just kept screaming until some part of Ino that remained in herself absently used a chakra scalpel to slice through his vocal cords. When she finished he was left doing little more than drooling.

After she returned to her body she looked down at Kabuto coolly.

"When will he recover?"

Ino blinked. "It was my understanding that this was to be the _final_ Interview. He will not be recovering, ever. Breathing is almost too complicated for him now. You may want to see if Tsunade wishes to study his healing factor. I have a report to write for the Hokage."

"Did you get what you went in for?"

Ino smiled. "I did indeed."

"We'll, if you do find yourself bored in the future, you might have a career in T&I, well as long as you don't enjoy it too much."

"Been there. Done that. Had the therapy." With that the disarmingly cute academy student walked out the door.

"Just what the heck was that supposed to mean?"

\- o -

Two months. They had survived two months of hell. Shino was by nature normally a very calm person, but two months on Team Anko was enough to shatter that. Kiba had made some progress on his fire affinity, in that he could almost get a leaf to burn in a reasonable amount of time. His own work with whatever he had was less successful. The training for Earth Release was to get a leaf to crumble to dust. So far it had not worked.

His taijutsu, and just his general running ability had grown leaps and bounds though, as had Kiba's for that matter. They, however, had a long way to go. Sakura was much faster than them, even with the two hundred pounds he knew was strapped to her. The interesting thing was he knew her musculature could not handle that, not and also maintain her speed. She had to be using chakra to boost her speed, yet his bugs sensed little chakra from her. Did she have little, or was she hiding what she had? For that matter how did she sustain the constant chakra usage? Anko was pushing her far harder than them, though their pace was also increasing, and from what Sakura had said it was highly likely they would have to catch up.

That brought a worrying thought. He had a limited amount of chakra available for general use. His colony took most of it. He didn't think it was physically possible for him to burn chakra at the rate Sakura must be and maintain his colony.

He looked around at the small clearing that his team favored. He was surprised to see not just Anko and his teammates join him, but Naruto, Ino, and Hinata along with the Hokage, Jiraiya, and Tsunade. Just what was going on that merited these people? Kiba too looked confused, though Anko's early training seemed to have instilled a certain amount of patience in the pre-genin.

The Hokage said, "It has been decided for your two teams to begin group exercises. That will be for a little later today. For now we have two tasks. First I have some additional chakra paper for Shino. I would like to see his affinity again. Hinata make sure to watch closely."

Shino took the paper and once he saw Hinata activate her eyes he let a trickle of chakra flow into the paper. Once again the paper fell apart to tiny crystals.

Tsunade picked one up before it fell to dust. "This is rare. It is called crystal release. The user can literally build crystals out of almost any material. A user can even crystallize around a person. That isn't immediately fatal, but if the crystal is shattered they are quite dead. Unfortunately I have no idea whatsoever with how to train it, nor even where to go to get that information. I only ran across a user once, and only saw her in one fight. She was formidable."

The Hokage asked, "Ino, would you be able to transfer the knowledge? Would such a small amount be a danger to Shino?"

Ino said, "No, a day or less should be fine. I'm game if both Tsunade and Shino are."

Tsunade said, "Fine, but no wandering. I'll focus on the memory."

Shino said, "Agreed."

Ino looked at Tsunade and swiftly formed a familiar hand sign. Ino's body started to drop to the ground only to be grabbed and let down gently by Hinata who was closest. Naruto quickly moved to cover Ino's other side, his eyes alert for any possible danger.

\- o -

Ino appeared in the middle of a raging thunderstorm. She knew it was beyond what she agreed to but she didn't care. She exerted her will, bringing Tsunade's mental form into focus.

"What are you doing?" she hissed. "I said the one memory."

Tsunade wiped the rain off her face only for more to fall as the storm continued to batter them both.

Ino exerted her will, her chakra streaming through Tsunade's mindscape. Calm was restored and the sun came out through pure force of will. She said, "My imposed calm will not last. Please, there must be something I can do to help you. I am not the little girl you see. If you do not trust me, then consider my father. He is also perfectly qualified to help."

"You think you can help me? Are you insane? You can't raise the dead. Maybe if you came back earlier it might have worked, but they are dead! Can't you just accept me as I am? I am fine!"

Ino focused once more, letting her mental avatar become not the body she wore now, but the one she had before. She grew in height and filled out. Her outfit changing to her standard Jounin uniform.

She pulled the protesting older woman in a hug as she pulled with her chakra. There was pain that must be faced, but she would not face it alone. This was going to take some time, but as a Yamanaka she had a duty to Konoha that she could not ignore.

\- o -

"What is taking so long?" asked the Hokage.

"I don't know," Jiraiya said.

"Get Inoichi."

Less than ten minutes later Inoichi arrived with Jiraiya. He put a hand on Ino for a few seconds and then a hand on Tsunade's head for a little longer.

"Ino is fine. Tsunade is fine. From what I can tell Ino is working."

"What do you mean working?" asked the Hokage.

"If there is one thing that is constant with Ino it is her tendency to meddle. I do not believe Tsunade is in any danger. In fact, I would bet considerable money that my daughter is helping her somehow. Normally chakra expenditure would be an issue, but her reserves are holding up fine. My recommendation is to wait."

"Couldn't you go in and see what is going on?"

"I could, but my presence is liable to make whatever they are working on more difficult or undo much of the progress."

"How long?"

Inoichi shrugged. "It is hard to say. With her reserves this session could take hours."

"Fine, we will postpone this task. Inoichi your in charge with this. We can begin the second task without Ino."

"I understand."

Jiraiya looked at Tsunade with an oddly soft expression before the expression vanished. He said, "Anko, we are going to try to look at your seal with the goal of eventually removing it. That probably won't happen today, but we expect to make progress."

Anko looked at them with hope in her eyes. "Really?"

"Do you wish your Genin to remain here?"

"What the hell, they might as well know some of the dangers out there."

Jiraiya said, "Hiruzen, can you give us a perfectly flat stone work area, say five hundred feed in diameter?"

The Hokage went through a series of hand seals and slapped his hands against the ground. Trees, grass, and shrubs were swallowed by the Earth only for it to change to what appeared to be nothing more than polished granite that appeared to be perfectly flat.

Jiraiya said, "Inoichi, Naruto, Hinata take Ino and Tsunade at least a thousand feet away. Kiba, Shino, Sakura join them there and help Inoichi watch over them. I'll need Naruto and Hinata back."

They quickly carried them away and made them comfortable.

"Okay Anko, I can either cut your coat away or you can remove it, or possibly lay on it."

She slipped it off exposing her muscle shirt covered with mesh. Jiraiya looked to be starting to drool before Anko glared at him. She laid the coat down and laid down on it, exposing her seal for all to see.

Jiraiya then unsealed a whole bundle of unlined perfectly white paper.

Naruto created eight solid clones which were followed by as many from Hinata. Each Naruto clone took a large sheet of paper and put it at a cardinal point around Anko.

Jiraiya said, "I'm going to have to unseal the containment seal Anko. That is going to hurt. I have a copy of a dental device I know you are familiar with. It should protect your teeth and tongue."

"Fine, give me it." She took the two pieces of the device and slipped them around her teeth.

Jiraiya said, "Naruto, I'm not certain how long" He was surprised when Ino walked over to them. "Am I late?"

"No, do you want to give Shino the memory first?"

"I already did."

"Is Tsunade well?"

"She is fine. It is just better to let her rest so I deepened her sleep before I finished."

"Thank you." he said quietly.

"No need. Now, I see Naruto is I guess handling the drawing while Hinata is handling corrections. I assume you will want me to help as well."

"Do you have the chakra for it?"

"I believe so."

"Do it."

Ino created eight shadow clones that with herself immediately moved between the Hinatas and the Narutos.

\- o -

"What is going on?" Kiba sent surprisingly quietly for him.

Inoichi said nothing.

Shino said, "I think Ino and her clones are somehow linking the Naruto and his clones to Hinata and her clones. The only logical reason to do that that I can think of is for Naruto to have access to Hinata's visual information."

Inoichi's head swung before he caught himself.

"It is also possible that either Naruto or Hinata needed some special ability or sense that Ino alone brings to the table, but it is more likely the former, particularly given her father's sudden movement just now."

They watched as Anko convulsed in pain without a sound. They watched as black marks spread from that thing on her neck all over her body before spreading out on the spread papers. They watched as the copies of Naruto quickly and precisely copied every mark and line even as the whole thing seemed to shift.

They saw the Naruto's set pens down and switch to a standard sealing brush before rapidly drawing a seal around the edges of the paper. Each Naruto then quickly applied chakra directly to the paper generating a seemingly blank paper. They picked back up their pens and continued. Two minutes later the whole thing repeated.

\- o -

Ten minutes Tsunade woke and walked over to the edge of where Jiraya was working. The sweat and strain was obvious in Jiraiya's expression. Anko's whole body was covered in the filthy seal. She seemed to be barely moving now.

One Naruto near Anko's head said, "We're done, you can let the seal contract."

Jiraiya released his hold on the seal. The seal quickly shrunk back into the original curse mark, though it seemed to continue to throb. Jiraiya started to get his brush.

A clone of each dispelled every five seconds. Jiraiya was just about to begin a new seal when Naruto said, "Wait, I think we can improve on it."

"Are you sure? That mess is going to take time to study."

"Yes. I can't remove yet, but I'm sure we can do better."

"Fine."

The remaining clones dispelled. Ino continued to hold Naruto's free hand even as her other hand held Hinata. Naruto grabbed his sealing brush as he knelt behind Anko. He said, "We're going to have to remove the clothing from her back to apply the new seal."

"Just do it brat, but if you enjoy it, you will pay." Anko's voice was weak as she made the threat.

"Hinata?"

Hinata let go of Ino's hand before forming a chakra scalpel and activating her eyes. She sliced away her clothing in a few quick swipes without even making a nick. She then grabbed Ino's hand again and stood on the other side of Anko before grabbing Jiraiya's brush.

The three worked in a very strange kind of harmony as line after line was laid down in a mosaic you wouldn't expect to come together, but one that did nevertheless and in a design that was awe inspiring in its complexity.

It took them almost an hour to lay down the seal before they both set their brushes down. Hinata then took Naruto's free hand and three pairs of hands laid on Anko's back as they all shouted, "Fuin!"

The lines snapped around Anko's seal with crushing force. When they were done all that was left was a single dot surrounded by an Uzumaki spiral.

Anko was out cold. Tsunade quickly checked her over before covering her with her cloak. "She is weak. I can't even detect that curse seal unless I'm right over it. There might be some side effect in it being all but removed, but I'd say it worked. How long will that, whatever it was, last?"

Naruto was sitting down with Ino to his right and Hinata to his left. He said, "I'm not sure. I didn't put any time limit into it. It is, however, not linked to Anko's chakra system so it is limited to the chakra we fed into it, but we could in theory add more. I doubt it would last forever, but maybe years?"

Hinata said, "Our goal was to at least prevent Anko-san from having to deal with the pain and the continuous mental probing the seal was causing. It was trying to weaken her willpower. It is fortunate that she is a very strong kunochi, or it might have worked."

The Hokage said, "Okay, I will want this counter seal checked daily until we can establish a pattern. Do you have any idea how long it will take to fully remove it?"

Ino said, "The seal is fully separated from Anko now. We managed that much. We just need to figure out how to physically move it and the counterseal at the same time."

"Wouldn't it be simpler just to move the cursed seal?"

"No," Naruto said. "The thing seemed almost alive. It is not going to go quietly. It might kill Anko if we did that. Isolating it from Anko was all we could figure out for now. I, or rather, we hoped that by isolating it from Anko's chakra system we could weaken it. I don't think that is going to work though. I don't understand it, but it is connected to..."

Ino said, "Crap, that thing is somehow connected to Orochimaru!"

Jiraiya said, "He is going to know, isn't he?"

Naruto said, "That we did something, almost certainly. I'm sorry. I didn't anticipate that. If we would have used the regular seal he might not have know we were doing anything but probing."

The Hokage said, "Don't be. If this seal gives Anko some peace of mind then it is worth it. I will deal with my student."

Anko's students walked back. Inoichi left.

Sakura and Kiba looked down in concern. Sakura's fingers glowed a pale green for a second, but that quickly vanished.

Kiba looked down at his fierce teacher, who seemed to be nothing more than asleep. He asked, "Is their anything we can do?"

Tsunade said, "I don't see anything that requires hospitalization. I'll leave a shadow clone here that will inform me if anything changes. For now just watch her till she wakes."

The Genin nodded.

The Hokage said, "I'm going to go get Kurenai. Naruto, Ino, Hinata, she will be your Jounin sensei. I considered assigning Inoichi, but I'd rather keep him in reserve here in Konoha. Stay here, get to know team Anko. Kurenai should be here shortly. Jiraiya, Tsunade your with me. We may need to make some plans."

Ino turned to team Anko. "You guys do know that you can't repeat anything that happened today right? I'm sure Anko will say the same thing when she wakes."

Shino and Sakura nodded, though Sakura seemed more thoughtful.

Kiba said, "Sure. Anko is pack, and others don't need to know all of a pack's secrets."

Ino said, "Shino, I may be able to help you learn crystal release a bit, or rather Hinata and I may be able to help you like we helped Naruto, just remember to keep it a secret."

He said, "I thank you for the offer, but I require time to fully absorb what you showed me first."

"Of course."

"I do have a question though. I was considering asking Lady Tsunade, but perhaps one of you can help, or anyone really. Sakura is clearly using a considerable amount of chakra to be able to run and fight as fast as she can. Even with the same training, I am unsure if I can compete with that."

"Your bugs?" Ino guessed.

"Yes. My colony takes most of my chakra."

Naruto perked up. "How many, well, bugs do you have?"

"I am currently limited to just under a thousand. Once I am older and my chakra reserves grow that limit will raise, but unfortunately it means my available chakra won't significantly."

Naruto said, "I was thinking of putting a seal on each one so they could store chakra for longer periods of time, but that is a lot of bugs."

"They also only live for about a day. You're seal idea is interesting though. Would there be some way for me to apply it? If during an attack my swarm could store much more chakra, well they would be that much more effective."

"I dunno. I've never heard of a seal that made seals. I don't think that is possible. The fourth was said to be able to apply a seal just by touching, but I have no idea how to do that."

Ino asked, "Would he be able to form a seal out of crystals?"

"I know blood works and chakra ink works, but then that usually contains blood too. Some specialty inks work as well. It might work, but I tend to doubt it. The properties are probably wrong, plus you would have to very precisely shape it. Here, let me get a brush, I'll draw one and we will see if they work with your bugs."

"insects is more correct."

Naruto nodded. He unsealed some of his own seal paper. "Do you want this to just absorb? I'm not sure how I can make it controllable by an insect. If I set it to just absorb it will eventually create a small explosion."

"How big can you make the explosion?" asked Shino curious.

"Not very big. There is a limit to how far I can shrink the seal and it has to fit on your insects. Actually can I see one?"

One flew out of Shino's arm and landed on Naruto's seal paper. Naruto gently moved that piece of paper to the side and started drawing on another. Less than a minute later it was filled with a quite complex network of lines and curves. "Can you ask him to move to the middle of this?"

The insect did so. Naruto then touched the corner of the paper with his hand and whispered, "Fuin." The seal shrank rapidly and moved up onto the bug.

"Hmm, now we need to test."

A shadow clone appeared beside him. It said, "Dang it. I hate it when I'm made as a test dummy. Come on."

The clone walked away after the insect hopped on.

Shino said absently, "It seems to be working. Excess chakra is draining from the insect and going somewhere."

Hinata activated her eyes. "About fifteen percent of the clones chakra has been consumed." A few minutes later she said, "About twen" before the insect on the clones neck exploded annihilating the clone.

Naruto said, "Well that was not one of my clones more fun ways of dying."

"Naruto-san, I would quite like to know how to recreate that."

"We'll sure, it might take awhile. Actually, I've got my old introductory sealing book at Ino's house. Perhaps you could pick it up after this?"

"Thank you."

"Shino," Sakura said, "I can help you build your chakra and make the most of what you do have."

"That would be appreciated."

"Damn," Kiba said. "Got anything cool to show me? Maybe make my punches explode things?"

Ino asked, "Do you know what your affinity is?"

"Fire? Why?"

Ino said, "A bunch of people can teach you fire, but it takes a lot of effort to get really good at it. Hinata, maybe a demonstration?"

Hinata activated her Byakugan and gestured in the distance. A six inch column of water formed and shot towards them before spinning first into a torus. She then moved it about a thousand feet away and said, "Naruto? Care to do the honors?"

Naruto nodded as he focused his own control over wind and wove it into the water as they both increased the rate of spin until a low howl was heard.

"A tornado," said a surprised Kiba?

"A rather lethal combination, at least for weaker opponents. Move it into the nearby trees."

They watches as the trees were rapidly stripped of leaves, bark and smaller branches before they let the combination die off.

Kiba said, "How long would it take me to do that?"

Ino said, "It could take years, but we have a trick or two to learn it a bit faster."

"Can you show me?"

"We may be able to help, but first you have to reach at least Sakura's level on your own."

"Ah man."

Ino said, "Cheer up. The skills Anko teaches will save your life and there is no better way to learn them. In fact, I'm hoping she can help us hone our skills."

A voice was heard that sounded quite familiar. "Oh, you were were you? Me and my snakes can't wait."

Ino grinned, "We are looking forward to it, but more seriously, how do you feel?"

"Fine. Like a new woman even. I can't even feel anything from that bastard's evil hickey. Did you manage to remove it?"

Naruto said, "No, though the seal we put on it completely negates it. It is going to be awhile before we figure out how to get it off you without problems. It was a very complicated seal."

"How so?"

"We didn't notice or realize it until it was too late, but the seal is somehow connected to Orochimaru. He will know something happened."

"Will he be able to use it against me?"

Naruto said, "He shouldn't be able to, but we don't understand the seal fully. Another problem is the new seal is powered only by the chakra we added. Once we figure out the usage rates we can add more or show you how, though I'd rather you did not to be honest. I don't want to give that seal any path back to you. I'm not sure you realized how dangerous that was, or how lucky you were that your will was stronger than its corruption. The counter seal helped, though I doubt it could do so forever."

"But you think you can remove it right?"

"Probably. In the short term I want to see if this seal weakens it. There is also the possibility that Orochimaru could still sense your location, even with the containment around it."

"Damn. Is there anything I can do?"

"Killing Orochimaru would help," he said dryly.

Ino added, "We know we aren't likely to do it anytime soon, but the more ready we all are the better chance that someone will kill that monster."

"Fair enough."

They were momentarily interrupted when Kurenai arrived. She immediately asked Anko how she was. She insisted she was fine. They briefly brought her up to date.

\- o -

Kurenai said, "So, I am to teach you three genjutsu and be your Jounin instructor."

Ino subtly took Hinata's hand. Suddenly Kurenai found herself lost in an unending forest. She dispelled it, only to find a layer underneath it. She dispelled it again only to find another and another. Finally irritated she used raw brute force to shatter them all at once.

Hinata winced, even as Ino turned to face her friend and formed the mystic palm justu and checked over her carefully.

"So, you have some skill already."

As the other two were busy, and Hinata seemed to be a bit out of it Naruto answered, "Hinata is the only one of us with any talent at it.. Ino can do basic ones."

Kurenai turned to Hinata. Ino said quietly, "You will have to wait a few minutes. Your brute force attack injured her."

"Does she need to go to the hospital?"

"No, I've got it."

Kurenai said, "I noticed that you took Hinata's hand shortly before you began."

"That is my thing. I helped her speed everything up so together we could keep up with your rate of dispelling. I didn't expect that attack." She paused as she let her jutsu die out.

"There Hinata you should be fine, but it probably wouldn't hurt to have Tsunade double check. I'm sorry Hinata. I should have been quicker. I wasn't quick enough to ground that attack. It slid over my defenses and shot through yours."

"I'm fine. We will both work on protecting ourselves better. Had that happened in battle we could have been killed."

"Not if I have anything to say about it." Naruto muttered.

Hinata looked at him fondly. She gave him a small smile that Kurenai easily caught.

Kurenai said, "To be fair, few are skillful enough with their control of genjutsu to directly slice through all layers like that."

Ino said, "Itachi Uchiha is in the bingo book. I doubt we could have held him for even an instant."

Kurenai's eyes widened. "Is their a particular reason you three are comparing yourself to an S class missing nin?"

Ino said quietly, "Because problems not prepared for tend to be the ones that kill you."

"Fair enough. I'll want to talk with you some more about what you did with Hinata, but first, why don't we cover everyone's remaining affinities and such? I specialize in genjutsu, though I can do the usual basic fire jutsu's and such."

Naruto said, "As you guys saw earlier, I'm wind and Hinata is water. Ino is complicated."

Kurenai and Anko looked at Naruto then at Ino.

"Ah man," Kiba said, "you can trust us. You already know I'm fire. Anko said it was strong, but I can't do much yet."

Anko said, "I'll vouch for them."

Sakura said, "I have Earth release."

Ino said, "I never doubted we could trust you, but this really is a secret, but I suppose you need to know or we can't take our training seriously. I sort of have Wood Release."

Sakura's eyes goggled. "You have the first Hokage's kekkei genkai?"

"No. It is close, but it seems more about control. Yes, I can make plants and trees grow, as well as use Earth and Water separately, but so far I'm not suddenly creating a forest or anything like that. I also can't use water nearly as well as Hinata, despite no lack of trying."

Hinata said, "I'm working on controlling air as well, though it has been challenging. I am hoping to manage a pseudo ice release eventually."

Kiba asked, "So is Naruto also working on some insanely powerful move?"

They didn't say anything.

"He is, isn't he? Dang it, I'm going to get left behind."

Kurenai said, "I've looked at the reports of your progress. You are ahead of where genin usually are."

Anko added darkly, "Typical genin usually die before they become chunin."

Naruto said, "Developing skill takes time, but maybe seals will help? Bought or made works, depending on what you and Shino work out. Sakura might be a good candidate to learn too. Here, let me show you. I hate to waste one of these, but I suppose it is for a good cause."

He pulled out a regular seeming Kunai from his pouch. His hand glowed briefly before the glow transferred to the Kunai just before he released it. The Kunai left his hands and shot like a bullet towards a tree several hundred feet away. It exploded on impact, cutting the tree in half.

"Damn," Kiba said.

"I want some," said Anko. Kurenai also looked appreciative.

Sakura asked, "How did that Kunai do that? I didn't even see any seals and I looked."

"I shrunk the array. Its kind of tricky to get right, and the user almost needs to do it, since it is hard for others to sense the array. It would have been bad if, for instance, I used that Kunai in a spar."

Shino asked, "Could we not paint the end of the handles or something?"

Naruto shrugged. "I don't mind making them. I can't leave the seal visible though. Jiraiya doesn't want the design copied, just in case one was lost. Expanding that one triggers it. They do take awhile, so I'd prefer not to make a lot of them, but sure if you guys want half a dozen or so each, then that is no problem. You supply the kunai."

"Done," both Anko and Kurenai said as they each fished out half a dozen high quality kunai and handed them to Naruto who absently sealed them away.

Sakura asked, "What about how fast it went? Also does it have to be standard carbon steel or would something else be better?"

"Oh, that was just me adding in a bit of wind chakra. You may be able to do something similar with pure chakra flow, but then Ino has lost several clones to testing that, so better not try that. I still haven't gotten that quite right."

Kiba backed away a couple steps.

Anko said, "Noted. I still want a set. I'll mark them myself."

Kurenai, "Same here. The explode on impact is incredibly useful. I'll take the risk. Can they be sealed?"

Naruto said, "They can, but I'd rather create the sealing array for them, and maybe have Jiraiya check it over. I'll need your help to finish the seals as well. Right now they can be armed accidentally, I have an idea to link them to a users chakra signature and a specific pattern of chakra."

Kurenai said, "If they can be armed accidentally..?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Eh, I'm working on it. I increased the threshold for now. They aren't too easy to accidentally arm. I just haven't had a lot of time. I'll fix it."

Anko said, "Whatever it is, it would have to be easy and quick. It is useless if I have to fiddle with it. I already have some kunai with prepared explosive seals added. It has to be faster than that."

Naruto unsealed a scroll that contained what looked like nothing more than a large maze. "I was thinking of basing it on how this works, though less complicated."

"What is that?" asked Kurenai. "It looked like a maze."

"It is a maze, but it is actually a chakra control exercise. Hinata do you want to have a go at it?"

"Sure."

Naruto set the nearly two foot by two foot square paper maze on the flat granite that Hiruzen had previously prepared. Hinata touched a point where the person would normally enter the maze.

They watched in surprise as a softly glowing blue line quickly traced its way through the very convoluted maze to emerge out the other side.

Naruto said, "I meant to try to make one where the maze changes, but so far I haven't had time. Either way, if you can control chakra to this level then unlocking a kunai quickly shouldn't be hard, and I can make more puzzles."

Kurenai hesitantly took Hinata's place and tried but the blue line barely moved.

Naruto said, "Don't feel bad, I can't get all the way through yet either. That thing is difficult. It's actually one of the more extreme chakra control training aids we managed to think up."

Sakura asked for a turn. She actually got more than a third the way through on her first try. Anko's eyes widened a little at that.

Ino said, "Well I'm feeling almost back to normal. How about you Hinata? Ready to put on a little dog and pony show?"

"I am well. I think I would like to help Sakura first. Her control just now was quite impressive. I was thinking of walking her through chakra enhanced attacks. Perhaps her attempts will help us to better understand the process."

Sakura said, "Um sure, I guess. I've been working on it with lady Tsunade but I haven't figured it out yet. It doesn't have to be taught like Tsunade does it? I'll stay conscious and all that and don't end up bleeding?"

Ino smiled a knowing smile. "You will be fine." She took Sakura's left hand with her right, while taking Hinata's right in her left. Hinata quickly activated her eyes.

Sakura said, "This is amazing, it is like I'm looking at myself, while looking out my own eyes at the same time. Here let me just start the process." She watched as the chakra flowed into her muscles and bones momentarily reinforcing them, but also thinning as it approached her knuckles. There was not enough chakra left to work. Sakura focused and more chakra moved down her arm. It took her quite a bit of trial and error but after about half an hour she thought she had the chakra about right.

Hinata thought, "No, you are still not right. Watch the flow in my arm." Without even separating their hands chakra shot towards the configuration she wanted. "See, each part is reinforced by the part behind." Ino let go of Hinata's hand and instead placed her hand loosely on her neck.

Hinata then repeated the process, lining up the chakra perfectly and then thrusting it forward out of her tenketsu's splitting a small hole in the Earth.

Sakura thought, "That is good, but it still doesn't seem quite right. What if we did this configuration?" She focused and the chakra flowed into a slightly different configuration. Before Hinata's chakra network had resembled a square lattice along her arm and into her hand. Sakura's on the other hand was triangular, flowing back evenly all the way up her arm and also reinforcing her shoulder.

Sakura then released the pattern and reformed it. It was a little quicker this time. Once it was set she pushed it forward out of the major tenketsu at her knuckles. The earth shattered in a very similar pattern. Sakura felt disappointment.

"No," Ino thought. "I think your approach is correct. Had that approach had a similar amount of practice behind it, then the result would have been considerably better. Let me try it."

Ino's chakra quickly flowed into the square lattice form she normally used before shifting into the network of triangles. It took a lot of focus to keep it there. Her habit was strongly ingrained in this old form. She shifted it back to normal then into the triangular form six or seven times before shattering yet another piece of ground. "It is going to take practice, but this works. I'd bet on it. Why did you choose it Sakura?"

"Oh, triangles are just stronger than squares. Have you ever seen that stuff they hang lights and such on? It is always a bunch of triangles."

"Amazing," Kurenai whispered. "You just made considerable progress on a very advanced skill in not a lot of time."

Anko said, "The Uchiha were so proud of their eyes but heck I'll take this approach any day. This is actually learning how it works right?"

Hinata said, "It is. Even Naruto can do the attack, though not yet without making a clone."

"Gee thanks," Naruto echoed dryly.

Kurenai said, "Given your chakra reserves, obtaining enough control to even come close to this is surprising. Can you show us?"

Naruto shrugs and creates four seal-less Kage Bunshin. They shunshin several hundred feet away and simultaneously launch four full powered chakra enhanced punches all aiming at the same rocky outcropping.

The earth shattered and a trench a foot wide opened up even as the clones were destroyed by the backlash.

"And that," Ino states, "is why Naruto doesn't dare try to use that without a clone. His chakra control is good, but not good enough to remotely do that safely, and I'm not sure the triangular formation will help enough, though it is probably worth learning."

Kiba asked, "Is it possible for me to learn that?"

Ino smirked. "First you have to get a lot closer to where Sakura is now. I can help you refine your control, particularly with Hinata's help, but you have to get close for me to do any good. In fact, your sensei and Sakura could probably help you as much as I could right now."

Anko asked, "What about me?"

Ino expression became grim. "I'm sorry until we get the rest of that seal off you, I can't risk the connection. The puzzle paper works though, and we have a few other things we have worked on that can be used to work on chakra based skills."

Hinata said, "I can also just talk you through improving some skills. Sure it is not as fast, but it works."

Anko nodded.

Kurenai asked, "We'll since you three are my new team, what are your goals?"

Hinata said, "To prevent the next Shinobi War."

Anko looked up curiously at that. She asked, "And what are you prepared to do to do that?"

Ino said quietly, "Whatever is necessary. Whatever is necessary. I suspect before all is said and done, a great many people are going to have to die, among them are those like Orochimaru and those worse than Orochimaru."

Kurenai said, "You are serious."

"We are," Naruto said resolutely.

Akamaru whined in concern.

Anko said, "We'll are there any other bombshells?"

Naruto said, "We'll there is one. Ino, do you think they should hear the story of the tree?"

Ino paled but nodded. "I'll do it."

"Long ago, well before the dawn of the modern age of shinobi a meteorite landing on our world. It produced a seed that grew into a great tree called the god tree. It was said that the fruit of the tree was never to be touched.

Unfortunately, there were others who knew what the fruit was. They were the Otsutsuki clan. One of them, Kaguya Otsutsuki came to our world to eat the fruit of the tree and used the power she gained to rule our world. She kept much of the world in what is known as the Infinite Tsukuyomi."

Kurenai gasped. "Tsukuyumi is the Ultimate genjutsu of the Uchiha clan."

Ino continued. "It is, but the Infinite Tsukuyomi was more. It is said that she enslaved almost the entire world in her world of illusion. Those enslaved had their energies slowly absorbed and fed back into the god tree. It was slowly turning them into a plant like lifeform that could still walk as a man called a Zetsu."

"Kaguya had two sons. Hagoromo and Hamura were unlike all others on our world. They were born with chakra. She was enraged that they had stole some of what she believed to be her power so she merged herself directly with the god tree. This changed her into the demon the world now knows as the Ten Tails."

Anko said, "Wait ten? I only know of the nine."

"They came later. Hagoromo and Hamura defeated the ten tailed beast and it was sealed into Hagoromo, who later became known as the Sage of the Six Paths. He was the father of Ninjutsu. He was also the patriarch of the Senju clan, much as Hamura is the ultimate patriarch of the Uchiha clan. Time passed. The Sage grew old. When he was near death he split the Ten Tails into the nine tailed beasts we have today. Tsunade is the last of that once great clan, though a few of their cousins the Uzumaki still remain, and you well know the fate of the Uchiha."

"Crap," Kiba said. "Is all that real?"

"It is," Naruto said. "Just after I was born the nine tailed demon fox was sealed into me. As a decedent of the Sage I am one of the few that could contain him and survive. The fourth Hokage gave his life to make that seal."

"It would explain much," said Shino. "My insects do not like your chakra. They sense what I now realize must be the nine tails."

"It is also why I have to always struggle with chakra control. The seal steals the nine tails chakra bit by bit and gives it to me. I can create hundreds of shadow clones but smaller things are more difficult for me."

"Damn," Kiba said.

Naruto said, "There is something else you need to know about that day. An Uchiha was there. He used his Sharingan to pull the fox from my mother and then control him."

Anko said, "Crap. Your sure of this?"

Naruto nodded, as did the others.

Anko said, "Knowledge that Naruto is the village Jinchuuriki is an S ranked village secret. Only Naruto can reveal it without being killed. You must not reveal it and as of right now I'm telling you, do not tell anything we have discussed today to anyone. Just don't and sure as hell don't mention the Uchiha's involvement. That is a mess that we don't need to spread."

Kurenai asked, "How do you know all this?"

Naruto said, "We got most of it from the fox himself."

Kurenai gasped. "You talk with it?"

Naruto shrugged. "It is sealed within me. It is not as if we can avoid each other."

Anko said, "And you trust it?"

"Not fully no, but much of it was confirmed in another manner."

Anko said, "How?"

Ino said, "That is a story for another time. We trust you guys, but that information would not really help you. If you must discuss it, the Hokage knows, as does Jiraiya and Tsunade."

"Help us with what?" asked Sakura.

Hinata said quietly yet clearly, "We said it before. We fully intend to prevent the next shinobi world war."

Shino said, "It is logical to plan, yet is there a current threat we are unaware of?"

Sakura said, "The Ten Tails and all that. There has to be a reason you told us. Wait, others know, don't they? The usual reason for battle is to control people or gain money. Surely they couldn't be crazy enough to try to somehow recreate that Infinite Tsukuyomi thing?" Both Naruto and Hinata flinched. Sakura and the others saw it. "Wait, if that is true. That thing took, or at least had available the power of all the tailed beasts or the equivalent thereof. If that is really needed then they. Oh crap. Some group is already out there and is going to come after Naruto?"

Ino said, "There is more than a little guess work in that."

"Am I wrong?"

"No," Hinata said quietly. She continued more forcefully, "And I do not intend to let them. If I have to become S-Rank to protect Naruto-kun then so be it."

"You sure as hell won't be alone on that day," exclaimed Ino.

"No, she will not," Anko said. "I became a ninja to protect not allow some fucked up Uchiha to put me in a dream world and digest me."

Kurenai said, "I'll have to talk with the Hokage, but I'm in, and I intend that all of you become as strong as possible. Even if this threat doesn't turn out as bad as we fear, there are always others. Hell, just how quickly you managed to freeze me of all people in a Genjutsu was enough to scare me silly. You could have killed me easily had you intended to. We have a lot of work to do, though things are beginning to finally make sense."

"What do you mean?" asked Sakura.

"Do you think you would be being trained like you were by Anko normally, or learning medical jutsu, or all the extra training Jounin and ANBU is getting. Like it or not, Konoha is preparing for war."

\- o -

Anko's training was brutal, but then it wasn't only Anko. Kurenai, Anko's snakes, Kakashi, and occasionally Hayate and Yugao helped to train Team Anko and Team Kurenai.

Ino's key development was learning how to maintain a lesser version of her linking ability while the team members were separated. Distance was a factor, but it worked and it allowed a synergy seldom dreamed of. She was also practicing spreading it to both teams. Unfortunately, the mental strain limited her to ten minutes or so max. It was a limit she was determined to overcome.

\- o -

Kakashi watched as Sasuke continued to train alone, often times making little to no advancement. Training alone was not necessarily a bad thing, but there were teachers that would be glad to teach him more. He considered pitting him against one of the others. Losing against Hinata would particularly gall him, yet would it actually help?

Hinata had much better training. That much was true, but it was the reason she had better training that Sasuke could not accept. He particularly wouldn't like to hear the truth he had recently been told about Itachi and all the rest, and that they had not killed Danzo, though the Hokage was certainly planning for that eventuality. His suggestion was simple. Tell the truth of the massacre. Pardon and get Itachi to return and kill Danzo and possibly the advisers for their parts. Implementing it was not remotely simple. There was also the fact that even pardoned Itachi still, as far as they knew, did the job, even if it was under Danzo's orders. The whole situation was utterly messed up.

He walked silently up to the door to the old Uchiha compound that Sasuke still inhabited. He knocked.

Sasuke was surprised.

"Hey."

"Hello."

"I'm going to be taking a genin team when the current genin graduate, but I was thinking of doing so early. Any objections?"

"No, they teach really little of use there."

"Hmm, yes despite the changes, the class does still have to teach at a rate where most can keep up. Still, it has improved has it not?"

"It has."

"I'd like to talk with you a bit about the Sharingan, if I may."

Sasuke shrugged, but stepped out of the way. Kakashi walked in and took a seat. Sasuke remained standing.

"What do you know about the Sharingan?" Kakashi asked.

Sasuke was silent, clearly unwilling to speak on the topic.

"Well, I know various things. You see when I was younger one of my teammates was mortally wounded. His name was Obito. He offered me one of his eyes. My other team mate Rin implanted it."

"You have a sharingan?" Sasuke asked surprised.

Kakashi moved his headband up briefly to show Sasuke.

"I'm going to tell you the most important thing there is to know about the sharingan or any shinobi ability. It is only a tool. Yes, it has saved my life, and yes its ability to copy jutsu is useful, but it is not a substitute for proper training. Skills learned through copying are never quite as good. Worse, if you are not careful and your target is, you can copy someone deliberately messing up a jutsu and end up killing yourself."

"What? That is crazy. That would mean the target was trying to kill himself."

"That does happen, particularly if it results in a mission that would otherwise fail being completed. It could also mean that who your copying of is confident in his or her ability to salvage the jutsu to either make it work or at least not backfire. Actual skill with an element allows considerable control which a blind copy does not."

"What about taijutsu or genjutsu?"

"Genjutsu is the same, except more dangerous. Those can backfire badly to an unprepared mind. Yes, you can copy Taijutsu, but unless your body can handle the moves, they won't work probably, and even if they do, will you really understand the mechanics behind it so as to use it efficiently, or to be able to adapt it when you need to?"

"What are you saying?"

"I'm saying you can become a strong shinobi with only the sharingan. It is a very powerful tool, and through pure copying and moderate effort you can get there. It is why the Uchiha were so feared. Of course, the Uchiha were hardly the only family to have special skills, and many of those are rightly feared as well. Now, if on the other hand you want to become a Ninja that is as strong as say a Kage, well the Sharingan alone will not get you there."

"I know, I've been practicing, trying to get strong."

"That won't work, or rather won't work well. You need training by professionals."

"But the Academy teachers only teach stuff I already know."

"Have you ever asked one to teach you more? Most of them would be glad to spend some time teaching someone who wants to learn."

Silence.

"There is another topic that we will be covering when our team comes together in the morning, but I'll breach it now."

"What?" he asked.

"Teamwork."

Sasuke glared.

"You don't believe that is important? Would you believe that three not even genin could defeat say a jounin, or at least fight him seriously?"

"Impossible. It would have to be a setup."

"Oh? Well I know my fellow Jounin Sensei Anko has been teaching three that you should be familiar with. She has Sakura Haruno, who she has taught for quite a few months now, and more recently she has taken on Shino and Kiba."

"I know. I was there," he said flatly.

"I see. I remember Anko describing that. Sakura got some earlier specialized training to try to shape her into a medic ninja. She has a particularly high intelligence added with perfect chakra control."

Sasuke snarked, "She can't be that intelligent. She refused to pick me."

"That was her choice. Now, I'd say that team could right now at least slow down most Jounin and in a year or so beat them, at least if they continue their current rate of progress. Does that surprise you?"

"A fan girl, a loud mouth, and the bug guy? You are not serious."

"We'll, would you like to try your hand against one of them? I'm not sure if Shino or Kiba could beat you just yet, but I'm betting Sakura could, and together they would wipe the floor with you."

"Fine, I'll take them all on, if it is what is necessary for you to take me seriously."

\- o -

Anko said, "Now, as absurd as it is, Kakashi-baka has decided to pit you three against Sasuke. Actually he was trying to get just Sakura to fight him, but he apparently thinks he can beat you all. Sakura, needless to say, if there is any regression to your fan girl days, you will regret it painfully. You three are to take him down and take him down hard. Don't cause any permanent injuries, but do impress on him that you are Team Anko and not to be fucked with. Got it?"

"Hai."

Sakura looked worried. Anko caught it. Sakura said, "I'll take it seriously, but this doesn't seem remotely fair."

"It is not remotely fair, but he is the one who thinks teamwork doesn't matter. If you still give a crap if he lives or dies, I highly advise you to make him take you and your team seriously. A real enemy would not leave him alive. They would rip those fancy eyes out and leave him for dead. Well that or rip his eyes out, keep him sedated, and continually extract his sperm to give to chosen kunochis."

Sakura and the others gasped.

"Life isn't fair. Not that many years ago Hinata was kidnapped by the ambassador of Cloud. Do you think she would have lived the good life if she reached there? No, she would have had her eyes removed. Some of her eggs would be removed to be used directly, but after that as soon as she could safely carry a child she would be artificially inseminated. So as not to harm the child, she would probably be kept drugged up. She would probably live a long life popping out babies."

Sakura looked like she was about to throw up.

"Your horrified? You should be. I hear Cloud's new leader is quite a bit better, but would he have stopped what was working well? It is possible they would, but they probably wouldn't just let her go. That would confirm their crimes and even a good leader is going to be wary about doing that. She might have been killed, or she might have just been shuffled off to the control of one of the ruling families, with nothing but the location changed. That is the world we live in. Just be glad that none of you have any extremely precious kekkei genkai. If you are caught there is likely an end to your misery, but it is you and your team mates out there. Don't forget it."

Shino asked, "What happened after that? I recall there was some threat from Cloud."

"Hinata's father killed the ambassador. They threatened war if we didn't turn him over. We were in no shape to fight one. I'm not sure who ordered it, or the exact details, but Hinata's father's identical twin in the branch house was sent. The seal on his head kept the cloud from harvesting the Byakugan. If you want more details you will have to ask Hinata. I do know that it is a very touchy subject between the main Hyuga house and the branch house."

A few minutes later while her team were thinking over her words Sasuke and Kakashi arrived.

Kakashi said, "Okay guys. This is all out, but any moves designed to cause permanent injuries will result in that side losing and one of us stopping the match, violently if need be. Before we start, I want you all to drop your equipment pouches. Each will be given a new pouch with six practice Kunai and six practice shuriken. If one of us call a hit fatal, then you are to drop and anyone attacking you is to stop. We won't bother calling it for minor hits. There is too much room for interpretation there. All jutsu are allowed unless they are likely to permanently maim or worse. If things get out of hand one of us will step in. Once again, knowingly starting an attack that you expect to permanently main or kill will result in instant disqualification, and possibly formal charges. You have been warned."

They set their equipment down and took the pouches Kakashi provided.

Kakashi asked Sasuke, "Would you like any advise before we begin?"

"No."

Kakashi nodded.

Anko asked, "And would you guys like any advice?"

Sakura, Kiba, and Shino said, "Sure."

"Meh, it is tempting, but I don't want to make this too easy for you. Let that be a lesson to you Uchiha. Don't give away free advantages. That gets you dead."

Kakashi said, "I do have one suggestion. Kiba, your dog is too young for combat. Give him here and I'll summon Pak-kun to keep him company." Kakashi quickly did several hand signs before summoning a small pug dog who asked, "What's up?"

Kakashi eye smiled. "Babysitting duty?" Pak-kun shuddered in horror as Akamaru was sat by him and then came up to him and licked him. "You will pay for this Kakashi!" Akamaru yipped.

\- o -

Shino thought this whole thing was pointless. It didn't advance the strength of the hive.

Sasuke could see this so called team looking at him curiously even as they kept each other in sight. He decided to finish off the weakest link first. He charged at Sakura.

Shino saw Sakura's sign. She wanted to try by herself at first. He gave her a subtle sign back indicating his agreement with it. Of course if things changed he would be right there.

Sasuke attempted to straight out punch Sakura? Was he really that stupid? Seriously, he didn't even attempt to evaluate her skills. That was a mistake, as evidence by Sakura knocking his arm to the side with her left arm and then delivering a low powered chakra enhanced punch that at least cracked several ribs. Sasuke was wary now as he stepped back.

Sakura smirked as Sasuke charged again. She slammed a full powered chakra enhanced punch at the ground that shattered the earth. This only seemed to anger Sasuke further as he desperately fought to keep his footing and avoid falling in.

Sakura gave them another sign. Finish it off it is. His swarm came out and began to leach his chakra even as Kiba dashed in and began beating the hell out of him. Sasuke tried to defend, but between his insects injecting paralysis toxin and draining his chakra, the pain from his ribs, which Kiba was avoiding and the shear number of low powered hits Kiba was getting in, he had no chance.

Anko said, "End it."

Kiba launched an uppercut to the bottom of his jaw knocking him unconscious.

He awoke a few minutes later after a bit of minor medical jutsu from Anko. "Rise and shine. You lost."

"Impossible. I'm an Uchiha."

"You lost the second you completely underestimated Sakura. Hell, you lost with the first hit she made, or didn't you notice her shattering the Earth? Do you know what happens to a human when you hit one like that? They end up mopping up the remains."

"Just because she learned a trick means nothing. Once I get my sharingan..."

Kakashi said sadly, "So, your saying an Uchiha is only his eyes? You would have easily won against Sakura if she had not started taking her training seriously and had a competent teacher. She is not even from a clan. She has no special ability, beyond perfect chakra control, and that is more than offset by not having a great deal to start with. Yet, with all that, I suspect she could beat quite a few chunin. I actually kinda wish I had her on my team."

"Not going to happen Kakashi."

"I figured as much. Your other two are coming along nicely too. Good work Anko."

"Thanks Kakashi."

Kakashi turned back to Sasuke. "You assumed you could quickly take out Sakura and then deal with the other two. While Sakura did give you a break and took you on one on one initially, you nevertheless failed to watch her teammates. Neither Kiba or Shino were giving their all either. Heck Kiba was specifically avoiding aggravating your injury. Face it Sasuke. You lost and it was more than fair. You chose to take on the whole team, but Sakura would have won just as easily, and I'm not convinced that her teammates would have lost either."

Sasuke glared even as Sakura came over to where he was still struggling to stand. She said, "Lay down. I think I can fix it."

"You're no medic."

"Not yet, but you can either let me work, or you can remain injured."

Anko said, "I sure as hell ain't carrying him to the hospital, not when I know Sakura is perfectly competent in this much."

Sasuke glared but finally settled on, "Fine."

Sakura knelt beside him as she used a chakra scalpel to remove his shirt. She then dispassionately used her mystic palm jutsu to begin the healing. "There are dozens of bone fragments. Remain still, this is tricky."

Sasuke continue to glare as she carefully rearranged fragment after fragment and then carefully began to fuse them back together.

Kakashi said absently, "Hmm, I envy you Anko. I can't count the times I wish I had a competent medic on a team. In fact I haven't had one since my genin days with Rin. Sure I can do some crude healing, but medic ninja grade control is rare." His expression was pained before it settled back to neutral.

Anko said, "Yah, while I can still easily kick her arse in combat, she is already better than me for some things like this. Now I just have to get these other two up to her standard. They are doing okay, but are still a bit slow. It may have been a mistake for Sakura to tell them that the Snakes wouldn't actually digest them."

"Oh, have they had that experience then yet?"

"Not quite. They are learning quickly and the few times I thought one of my pets would get to have some fun Sakura managed to save the victim. It was really quite rude."

Sakura huffed. "I'm not about to let my team sleep the night in the guts of a snake. It is disgusting. Besides if I can save them and I don't, then what kind of team member would I be?"

"One that would no longer be on my team," Anko said coolly.

Sakura nodded, as if she expected no different, even as she continued to heal the Uchiha. Her chakra began to falter. She said, "I do not have enough chakra to finish this, not with all my earlier training today."

Anko asked, "Do you know the theory about using Chakra from another?"

"I know the theory yes, but Tsunade would be very angry if I tried an unpracticed skill on a patient that could just as easily be healed in a hospital." Sakura's healing chakra faded.

"What did you get done?"

"All the bones are fixed, but need more healing to be combat worthy. He could heal on his own at this point, but I really recommend he go to the hospital."

Kakashi said, "Good enough. In fact, were we in the field, you would have likely done the most important part. My own skills could probably finish the task, but why don't we let the doctors do their thing."

Kakashi picked up the Uchiha before disappearing in a shunshin.

After they left Shino said, "In an emergency my insects can transfer chakra to you. I do not have a great deal to spare and it would be harder to control."

"I'll keep it in mind. Thanks."

"Okay kiddies, let's review the battle. Actually you know what you did there. Let's go over our earlier spar. That was at least interesting."

\- o -

Sasuke waited for a medical ninja to enter. It was an older scarred veteran who was wheeling himself in.

"What? I may have lost my legs, but I'm hardly useless." He then started leafing through the folder he was given. "Hmm, preliminary treated by an in training medic ninja. It notes that due to earlier training she was low on chakra and could not finish. Interesting, well let's see what she got done shall we?"

Sasuke forced himself to remain patient as the older man calmly formed the mystic palm jutsu and scanned his ribs. After a minute or two he whistled in surprise. "This is good work. If your friend ever decides to quit the ninja gig you have her look me up you hear?"

Sasuke nodded dumbly.

"Here let me just finish up the job. I don't see anything else that really needs treating. You can live through bruises." His hand flared with warm green light as he reinforced the healing that was already done. About ten minutes later he said, "You're done. The ribs are now as strong as they were, though you may experience a bit of pain for a week or two. Anything beyond that come see me, or for that matter that friend of yours."

"Okay."

"I'm curious. Did that friend of yours have a name?"

"Sakura," he said flatly.

"We'll you tell Sakura that I'll be watching for her and if she needs any tips to give old Arnaeth a call."

Sasuke nodded and left.

\- o -

Danzo considered a few new tidbits of information. It would seem that Tsunade's hidden student was Sakura Haruno. She apparently did a credible job of healing the Uchiha heir. He wondered if perhaps she also caused the damage? If so it would be remarkable progress for a not yet genin. He penciled her in for possible recruitment. He looked through her history to see why she was not previously considered. It was as he expected. Other than the intelligence, there seemed far too little potential to make it worth it, particularly given that the Haruno clan did have enough connections to make her disappearance troublesome. There was probably nothing to be done about it now. Tsunade's student, secret or otherwise was too high profile.

His musings were cut short when Fu and Torune entered his office. As soon as Torune's destruction bugs were let loose he started to stand only to find a massive seal array holding him in place as the bugs started to devour him alive.

As life was leaving his eyes Hiruzen Sarotobi walked in. "Yes, we got to your people. It took time, but we undid your seals and deprogrammed your people. Goodbye Danzo, you will not be missed." Sarotobi turned to Torune, "Leave no trace. There will be no record of the eyes he stole. The rest of the truth is bad enough."

Torune nodded without emotion.

"Yes, Sarutobi thought, he was glad the Yamanaka were on his side." Young Ino had actually personally deprogrammed Fu while her father handled Torune. Jiraiya handled the seals. At first he had thought Naruto might be required, but they weren't that bad. No, the real problem was not killing Danzo. The real problem was the cleanup of all of Danzo's work.

He wished that they could help Fu and Torune more, but there was nothing to be done. It was likely that they would never recover the range of emotions a normal person had. The Yamanakas had simply removed the programming to serve Danzo above all. The programming to serve Konoha was left, and would likely have to remain, at least for awhile.

"Bring Sasuke to my office. I will tell him the news."

\- o -

Sasuke listened quietly to the old Hokage and looked at the range of proof that was collected and the truth about his brother. When Hiruzen was done he started to stomp off.

"Not just yet Sasuke-kun."

"What else do you want?"

"I cannot undo what happened, and your brother remains in a position that Konoha needs him to remain in. I wouldn't have informed you at all if you were not directly affected."

"And that is supposed to help?"

"What would you have of me?" he asked quietly. "I could recall Itachi and release the information of what happened to Danzo. Doing so would make Konoha look weaker, but not so weak that we are likely to be invaded. None of it will bring any of them back. You killing your brother certainly won't help."

"I know that! They didn't have to die."

"Itachi told us that they all knew. I have the report here somewhere." He pulled a file out of the pile and handed it over. It was in Itachi's handwriting.

"The plan for a coup led by my father appears to have clan wide support. It was discussed openly in a meeting of all clan members. The only ones not to attend were the women and children still in the academy or younger."

Hiruzen said, "I actually planned to have just those of age killed. My advisers argued for more, that there was no salvaging the situation. Those that were left behind would inevitably blame the village. I ignored them and continued with my plans. Sadly, Danzo went behind my back and ordered Itachi, but ultimately the buck stops here. I was also the one that decided that at the time Konoha needed Danzo alive more than dead. In hindsight, that was another of my mistakes."

"Why? Why were my clan planning a coup?"

"Did you know that some Uchiha could control the Kyuubi?"

Sasuke's eyes widened.

"It was rumored that they were behind the Kyuubi's release. I'm not entirely sure who started the rumor, though I did learn recently that there was some truth to it. No, I'm not blaming your clan for it. That would be stupid. It is what it is. I worked for many years with Fugaku. I knew he resented that he did not have higher position even though he was a senior adviser. To tell you the truth I even thought Itachi might make Hokage someday, but that is impossible now."

"Why?"

"Because, whether it was on orders or not, he still killed his entire clan."

"I need to think."

"What we have discussed remain village secrets. You may not reveal it and you may not leave Konoha. If you wish to speak to Itachi contact me. It may take considerable time to work that out but I'll get it done."

"Fine."

Hiruzen watched as young Sasuke walked out. He wondered if this was the right choice. It was what Kakashi wanted, and worse comes to worse Kakashi knew his duty. They had given him a chance. It would be up to him to make something of it. It was far too late to fix his own mistakes. He was just trying not to make any more.

\- o -

Kakashi had spent two weeks attempting to get his team to have some kind of synergy and had failed. Sasuke seemed out of it and stubbornly did his own thing. The Nara did exactly enough to avoid more trouble and the Akamichi followed suit.

He sat there for awhile longer before saying they were done for the day. Sasuke immediately ran off, but the Nara and Akamichi was slower. Kakashi said, "A moment."

Shikamaru looked extremely annoyed to be delayed form his likely nap. Nevertheless he turned and waited.

"I have a problem. I have a prospective genin team that at this time I cannot in good faith promote to full genin."

Shikamaru looked at him as if asking what do you want me to do about it?

"I want you to tell me how to fix it."

"Troublesome."

"I considered ignoring it and just hoping for the best. The first mis-ranked mission would likely either result in you three coming together or well dying. I believe you three have potential, and I'd hate to see it wasted."

Shikamaru said, "You expect missions to be mis-ranked?"

"It happens form time to time. It is a leading reason that most genin do not make it to chunin. A Jounin can only do so much. Keeping themselves alive is one thing, but keeping potentially three others that are way out of their depth alive at the same time can be more than is possible."

The Nara asked, "Are you going to do that?"

"No. Killing off three clan heirs is frowned upon, and given that none of you are properly motivated that is the most likely action."

"Then what?"

"I'll tell the Hokage you failed my final genin test. It will be up to him at that point. It is possible you will just be dismissed from service."

"Would that be so bad?" asked the Nara.

"You tell me. You've bound to have read some history. Do you think you are truly safe in Konoha against all threats? Are you okay just tending your deer or whatever while your team mates risk their lives?"

Chouji asked, "Whare are the others doing? Naruto, Ino, and Hinata were first and then Sakura left. She ended up picking Kiba and Shino for team mates. What happened to them?"

"Oh them, they are doing well. I suppose we could go see what they are up to if you want."

Shikamaru said, "It wouldn't be too troublesome?"

"I'll take care of it. I'll see you all in the morning."

After Kakashi left Shikamaru said, "He didn't say it wouldn't be too troublesome."

Chouji said, "Food?"

"Sure, why not?"

\- o -

The Hokage said, "Sasuke is still considered unreliable. I really don't want all their skills getting out and if they don't take it seriously, their would be no point."

"You could tell him about what Itachi is doing. That might give him a purpose."

"What part of unreliable do you not understand? I have already told him more than I really want to. Has he asked to see Itachi?"

"No. Just because his brother did it under orders doesn't change the fact that he did it, and you killed the person who ordered it."

Hiruzen said, "What about asking Ino to stop by your training ground? Perhaps something a bit less confrontational. She shouldn't be spilling secrets of course, but she might have some ideas. She did know him after all."

"Is she okay with that? I thought you said Sasuke betrayed Konoha in that future you don't say much about."

"He did, but she said she felt he deserved a chance. In the future Orochimaru managed to mark him like Anko is marked. He didn't resist much at all. He ran to Orochimaru when it looked like Orochimaru was his path to power. Now maybe that was an improved seal, but Ino's best guess was that Sasuke just didn't care how he got power."

Kakashi asked, "What do you think Ino will accomplish? You have to want to be helped for a Yamanaka to do any good."

"I was hoping that just enough of the Uchiha pride would be sparked."

"Meh, if you want pride then send Hinata. All he would remember is a meek girl probably, and the Uchiha Hyuga rivalry might be interesting. It doesn't really solve the teamwork issue though."

"Actually, " the Hokage said, "I have an idea. It will require a little bit of work on the Hyuga's part, but it would be a good test of her skills."

\- o -

Shikamaru saw Sasuke heading their way. Kakashi was nowhere in sight. Suddenly Hinata of all people appeared in a swirl of water. She faced all three of them.

"So you three are what is left huh? They say you want to see us fight, but I rather doubt you are worth our time. Perhaps I should dissuade you from wasting our training time."

Sasuke glared at her. "I'd like to see you try Hyuga."

Hinata smirked at him. It was a very Anko like smirk. She then turned to Shikamaru and Chouji. "How about you two? A useless slacker and one fat… oh I mean big boned child." She said the last with just the perfect amount of Hyuga arrogance that they had no idea she had practiced.

Chouji saw red and charged. Shikamaru groaned, but quickly followed even as Hinata easily flowed around Sasuke's taijutsu while simply pirouetting away from Chouji's more clumsy attack.

Shikamaru's shadow flowed, but she danced and spun. She smirked at the Nara and activated her eyes. Water flowed toward her in several streams from the distance. It quickly flowed around Shikamaru obscuring his vision and breaking his control of his jutsu.

Hinata continued to dodge. "Is this really the best you have?" Chouji changed into a meat tank. She hopped on top and used her advanced chakra control as if he was a ball in the circus. She then bent down and started forcing chakra into the tenketsu she could get to. Less than thirty seconds later Chouji was disabled and out of the fight.

She dodged Sasuke again. He was forming hand signs. A ball of fire shot towards her. She pulled the water away from Shikamaru and drove it against his fireball even as she fast stepped to a safer distance. Shikamaru's shadow was in fast pursuit. "It is dangerous to leave you unoccupied, and while I could summon more water, I think it is past time that I end this game."

She blurred far faster that Shikamaru could make out. She had disabled a dozen Tenketsu before he knew what had happened. She did the other twenty in the common sequence almost leisurely as she waited for Sasuke to get to her. "Do you really think you can win? A few fire jutsu and some decent taijutsu against me?"

"I am not going to give up."

"So be it. How about this, just to make it interesting. No chakra. Pure taijutsu."

"You're on."

Hinata began to use the snake form Anko had taught her. It worked well against the Uchiha's taijutsu style. They continued for several minutes, but Hinata was easily wearing the Uchiha down. Sasuke got some hits in, but Hinata refused to acknowledge them, even as hit after hit battered against the Uchiha's form. Ten minutes later it was over with Hinata the obvious victor.

"Thank you Sasuke. I knew I was over reliant on my eyes and the gentle fist. I shall have to correct that. Enjoy your day. Once you and your team grow stronger we can try this again. Oh, and do tell Chouji-san that I apologize for my words. It was not personal."

She then disappeared in another water shunshin.

A few minutes later after Chouji woke up Kakashi arrived and said, "What happened here?"

Shikamaru glared at him. "That was an obvious setup. Hinata would never have insulted Chouji like that. She was told to."

Kakashi said, "Yes, it was. It doesn't change the fact that a girl from your class that was certainly weaker than Sasuke just kicked all three of your buts, and she did it without causing any of you significant damage. The question is, what are you going to do about it?"

Sasuke said, "She is going down."

Chouji said, "Hell ya."

"Troublesome. You know Chouji it was a setup. She apologized for what she said before she left."

Chouji asked, "Are you fine with a girl our age being strong enough to beat three of us without breaking a sweat? That water she used on you could have killed you."

Kakashi said, "Yes, she could have killed all three of you rather easily. She has very fine control over water. She could have shoved it down your throats and noses killing you quite easily. There is a trick or two to that can block your nose, but that is short term. You need air. With enough control you can use your chakra to divert water away form your nose and mouth, but that is a pretty advanced skill. I'm not actually sure how many Konoha Jounin could stop her if she was sufficiently bloody minded. Fortunately, she is a well behaved Hyuga princess, that has no plans for bloody revolution, so no worries about that." The last was said with more than a bit of amusement in his voice.

"Teach us," demanded Sasuke.

"Alright. You should know that since you guys got a little later start I've managed to get Asuma Sarotobi to pitch in from time to time with the training, so don't be surprised if he shows up one morning instead of me."

"Yah. Yah," Shikamaru said. "Let's just get on with this troublesome task."

"I wouldn't count on your shadow skills either Shikamaru. She is very good at not just seeing but understanding chakra with those eyes of hers. If there is a way to disrupt your shadow, well she has probably already figured it out, and if not, well she is likely meeting with her team right now and going over the entire battle. I know for a fact that had she her team here then Ino could have easily disabled Shikamaru with her clan jutsu after Hinata trapped him, and that is to say nothing about her other skills or Naruto's. You three have a long way to go just to not be dead last."

Sasuke glared at him. Shikamaru rolled his eyes. Chouji munched on some chips he pulled from somewhere.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Jiraiya sat across from the Hokage in his office. Tsunade was in another chair while Shizune set down a tray of tea and took her own seat.

Jiraiya said, "I know it is their usual graduation time. Not that that means much with the newest three teams, but it is also past time to field them. Actual experience is required."

Hiruzen said, "You're correct of course. What about summons? Will you let Naruto sign the Toad contract? For that matter what about the other two? They have the chakra for it."

"Yea. This afternoon probably. What do you think Hime? Could one of them be a slug summoner?"

"Ino is disqualified. I'm fine with training her. Her potential should be met, but twice now she has rejected a primary medic ninja focus. The slugs bond with those who are true healers at heart. Ino is not. There is nothing wrong with that. She just is not. Both Sakura and Hinata have the potential, though Hinata could use it better. She has enough chakra to lend to Katsuyu to really make a difference. Sakura is not yet ready to summon. It will be some time before she builds up her reserves adequately."

The Hokage asked, "Couldn't they both summon?."

Tsunade considered for several moments before shrugging. She then bit her finger and swept through the hand seals for summoning before smacking her hand on the ground. A small one foot tall version of Katsuyu appeared.

"Lady Tsunade, how may I serve?"

"Both Hinata Hyuga and Sakura Haruno are shaping up to be good kunochis. We were discussing who we might find worthy of our summoning contracts. I'd like to know your thoughts."

"I know little about both. I propose a provisional contract with both."

"I have no objections, though Sakura will certainly be limited to your smaller forms in the near future."

"Lady Tsunade, even a temporary contract will exact a continuous price in chakra while it exists, and with 3 in total, if more than one summons the majority of me, only one will get it. I am only one."

Tsunade snorted. "Your full self is what twice what I've ever attempted to summon? We will be fine, though I agree that that would be the limit. I'm a little concerned about the chakra drained. I stopped paying attention years ago, yet it would be significant with Sakura."

Jiraiya said, "The drain is actually probably a good idea. You'll have to go over her diet and monitor it to some extent, but it will force her body to adapt. By adapting this young..."

Tsunade nodded. "She will be stronger for it later. It is bound to be unpleasant in the meantime though."

Hiruzen said, "Those are the breaks. Steel has to be forged. Better now when their bodies can adapt to it. I'm less than certain we shouldn't be pushing sage training on them as well."

Jiraiya paled. "No, that I will not accept. Balancing natural energy with your own is hard enough. More chakra helps, but you also flat out need the experience and will that only time adds. Most still become statues."

The Hokage said, "Perhaps you are correct there, but I have delayed my own training for far too long. I plan to begin it later today. I need one of you to be there to take the hat should I fail."

"No," Tsunade said, "I have been remiss in my own training. I will go to the forest after I help them create the temporary contracts. Sorry sensei but you get to not die today."

Shizune said softly, "Tsunade-sama."

"I am not that old," he harrumphed.

"It is not just age. My control is as good as it ever was if not better. You have been buried in this room. If you try to learn to balance natural energy without first bringing your body back to as close to perfect as you can, you will die," said Tsunade with absolute certainty.

"I have been training."

"Not enough, I know what this fool went through. It was a very close thing and he still doesn't have it right."

"Hey," exclaimed Jiraiya.

Hiruzen said, "Fine, I'll get back in better shape. Tsunade, is there anything you need before you go?"

"I am thinking of taking Hinata and Sakura. With their temporary bond they should be able to come with me. Katsuyu, will they be of help, or would perhaps borrowing that Jiraiya whacking stick they have help?"

"Nothing of the toad clan may enter. Hinata and Sakura may practice. They may even pull natural energy from you if you take too much, though if Sakura really is so weak, that would likely be fatal." 

"There is no other way to remove excess natural energy from me?"

"There is not Lady Tsunade. I have not had a summoner reach the rank of sage in over a thousand years."

"Do you think I can do it Lady Katsuyu?"

"I do Lady Tsunade."

\- o -

Ino looked at Tsunade wide eyed as she explained her plan if you could call it that. "If I'm understanding this you will be depending on Hinata to do something incredibly dangerous. Are you sure there is no other way?"

Tsunade said, "Both will share in my sage training but not be directly exposed to raw natural energy. I will do everything in my power to control the energy on my own. If I fail I do not require Hinata make any attempt to save me and I forbid Sakura from even trying. Her control may be good but she lacks the chakra to do anything but die. When she is older she can try again if she chooses."

Naruto said, "I may be able to help slightly, but I do not have any natural energy to test with."

"The pervert could supply it. What do you have in mind?"

"I've been working on a seal to yank chakra out of a persons body. It is anything but kind and tends to explode, at least on clones, but if I could make it target natural energy.."

Tsunade's eyes widened. "Hinata come with me and help find the pervert. If we can come up with something, well, recovering from a bomb is way easier than recovering from being turned to stone."

Tsunade or rather Hinata found Jiraiya at the hot springs. After bashing him through the wall and letting the clientele get their revenge Tsunade threw him over her shoulder and left in a leaf shunshin. Hinata followed in her own water shunshin.

Tsunade dropped him in front of Sakura. "Fix him." Sakura sweat dropped at her. "Oh get over it. I didn't cause him any real harm. If the idiot would just stop being perverted I could stop bashing him through walls."

Hinata appeared a few moments later complete with a tray of cinnamon rolls. She barely got one down before Tsunade said, "Hand me that and go help Sakura."

Hinata pouted even as she gave up her precious cinnamon rolls. She stuffed the last piece of the one she had in her mouth as she sat across from Sakura, activated her eyes and let violet chakra flow to her right hand that quickly changed to cool green as she used it to heal the sage's injuries.

In the background Tsunade started to chew on a cinnamon role as she looked on.

Hinata's expression grew determined. Violet chakra flared on her other hand that also shifted to green, if perhaps a slightly warmer green as that hand started to seemingly independently heal a different area.

Three minutes later she pronounced, "Done," even as she quickly reached for her rapidly diminishing tray. Four were gone. She held the tray to her protectively as the others looked on in amusement.

Tsunade nudged Jiraiya with her foot. "Stop faking it and get up."

Jiraiya cracked an eye open and seeing Tsunade serious quickly stood. "Did you have to also let the mob beat me up? The flash healing was a nice touch though. New thing?"

"No, just me holding Hinata's food hostage."

"What do you need princess?"

"Naruto thinks he has a seal that when applied absorbs chakra then explodes. He was planning on using it offensively. I want something that will absorb natural energy. You're our battery."

"We'll I can look at his seal, but its going to be hours before I'll risk natural energy, what with the amount of foreign chakra in my system now. Next time just ask first, oh and no flash healing. She must have dumped a ridiculous amount of medical chakra in my system for those silly biscuits."

Hinata glared at him. The others wore tiny grins of amusement.

Naruto pulled a scroll out of his pack and then unsealed a almost 2 foot by 2 foot leather bound book out of it. He then flipped pages till he was about two thirds the way through. It showed a very elaborate seal drawn in ball point along with a lot of very compact notes, a few of which appeared to be in a different hand.

Jiraiya looked at it before sighing. "Do Uzumaki ever make anything simple?"

Hinata said, "We went through a many different designs. That one was fastest without destabilizing. The offensive application was an after thought. We were hoping it might be usable to yank the chakra out of an unknown seal before it could react."

"You plan to unravel the matrix so fast that no matter what the seal did it was dead? We really gotta get you guys safer hobbies, like perhaps disarming landmines. I hope you didn't bring it anywhere near..." He trailed off.

Naruto said, "Sakura knows, and no we did not. I even added a fail safe that should cause it to collapse if it detects demonic chakra. Besides the seal didn't really work for removing other seals. We checked."

Hinata frowned slightly at that but said nothing.

"Got any ready to go?" asked Jiraiya.

Naruto reached into his pouch and pulled what looked like a standard set of paper tags. He handed them to Jiraiya who gently ran his fingers over it.

"Nice, Looks like a flawed smoke tag, but I can sense the embedded seal." He set the tags down briefly before making several hand signs. An Earth Clone formed beside him. He then handed the clone a seal.

Hinata activated her Byakugan. The clone took the seal and ran a few hundred feet away before applying it to his cloned shirt. Less than a second later it exploded, blowing away the top half of the clone and leaving a pile of mud.

"Yah, that would be a problem." Jiraiya said dryly. "Even if it works, it is too volatile."

Naruto said, "That version was with my refinements to use it offensively. I didn't save the others. Let me see if I can come up with something a bit better." He glanced at Ino and Hinata who gave him a small nod.

He unsealed a large sheet of parchment and a sealing kit. Ino and Hinata also unsealed sealing kits and moved so they were equally spaced around the parchment.

Hinata activated her Byakugan as the trio began to draw a considerably different seal.

Jiraiya motioned Tsunade and Sakura farther away. "I wish all Yamanaka had Ino's skill. They work as one when they need to and they do it with precision. That same seal would probably take me a lot longer, but it is not just that, being able to work on a seal from multiple areas at once opens a lot of doors, and probably a lot of seals."

"Yea," Sakura said. "Hinata and Ino have helped me multiple times with my chakra enhanced punches and medical jutsu, though I guess I figured out that one thing."

Tsunade said, "Your contribution was key. The team of you, Ino, and Hinata will likely be able to perform miracles with medical jutsu, if you but keep up your training. It is a pity that Naruto's own chakra is still too volatile to use in general for medical jutsu, but then I might as well wish Ino had a true medical calling. You take what you can get and work with it."

They watched from a distance as the trio worked. It was quite an intricate seal and clearly something that would have to be prepared well ahead of time.

Tsunade asked, "Are you any closer to being able to use sage mode?"

"Hard to say. Best to wait a bit though. First we need a plausible regular seal. Once we have that, I might just see if Naruto wants to sign up and then see if Ma and Pa mind if he is reversed summoned with me. Then we can perhaps work through the idea with some of the toad elders. I know you wanted to get started Tsunade, but this could take awhile."

"Katsuyu said we couldn't bring anything of the toads."

"We won't. I just want to make sure the design is solid, and they know more about natural energy than me. After all, if it going to be used on a princess, we want to make sure it is correct."

"I just hope Lady Katsuyu doesn't consider it cheating. She can be funny about such things."

Jiraiya shrugged. "Toads are more practical about such things."

The trio finished the seal. Naruto was about to create a shadow clone to test it when Jiraiya said, "Hold up a minute. I want to study it and get a picture of it before we go destroying it."

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "I didn't think of that. Between the three of us, I'm pretty sure we could duplicate that exact one."

"Well," Jiraiya said lazily, "I'd rather be able to make a copy myself if it comes to it, and you never can tell what will come in handy. I want to get a copy of that page in your book as well. Here, let me get my camera."

Jiraiya nicked his finger and used the blood to unseal a simple compact film camera and took multiple snaps of the proposed seal as well as of the one in Naruto's book of seals. He then sealed his camera back into its original scroll with his still slightly bleeding finger. Tsunade absently healed his finger for him.

Tsunade said, "I'll test it. Earth clones seem to be a good choice since they… Actually why can't I just have an Earth clone on standby to pull the chakra? They don't transfer chakra back to the host, so they should work. For that matter Hinata could use her water clones."

Jiraiya said, "It might work, but the only clones that can usually do something so specialized are shadow clones. You would have to practice, and as you would have to block the clone feed back it would be really hard to get right. Personally I'd want to get the seal right. If we can do that you would be safer."

Tsunade looked at him with a curious look, but he didn't seem to notice.

He continued, "Practicing with elemental clones would be safe, at least for those with a contract, that is assuming they work at all for this..."

Ino asked, "How exactly does a clone or a person for that matter pull chakra from another? I don't believe I've heard of that jutsu."

Jiraiya said, "Hmm, one of the people we picked up that worked with Kabuto had the skill. Its a kinjutsu for a reason. It really shouldn't be abused, or used all that often, or at all if one can help it."

Ino asked, "What is the affect to a person?"

Tsunade said, "It tends to destabilize a persons chakra, and can lead to permanent damage to chakra pathways. That is one of the reasons medical chakra is so useful. It can heal and the residue doesn't damage a person, though it also doesn't really work quite like a persons native chakra either, hence why Jiraiya is waiting for it to settle out."

Hinata asked, "But what about what happened to us?"

Tsunade sighed. "While I wish that Hinata didn't bring that up, there may be some value in Sakura knowing. I am sure that Sakura will protect that secret with her life, won't she?"

Sakura gulped, but nodded.

Tsunade said, "The Kyuubi made a deal. It gets a percentage of Ino's and Hinata's yin chakra, while they get the same percentage of it's yang chakra."

Sakura said, "Why would the demon do that? Surely it has its own Yin chakra, and even if it didn't, wouldn't the foreign chakra just be used up over time?"

"The fourth only sealed the Yang half of the Kyuubi in Naruto. The Yin half was sealed into himself and he took it with him into the belly of the Shinigami. They didn't trade the chakra we use from day to day, but what is fundamentally makes our spirits."

"So the Kyuubi wanted a sample so he could eventually have balanced chakra? Wouldn't that take a really long time? I can't imagine Hinata and Ino had that much, at least compared to a demon."

Tsunade said, "Our best guess would be hundreds of years, hence why we were willing to trade. Perhaps it is unfair, but it is why they have a lot more chakra than you. It also means that Naruto can use medical jutsu on them without potentially killing them. The extra yang chakra is probably also why Ino was able to develop her wood release skills."

Sakura looked slightly green. "Um, that is okay. I'll get by on my own."

Tsunade snorted. "Say that after you get in a few S-ranked fights."

Sakura looked thoughtful.

"Just keep your rate of progress up and you could exceed my abilities someday. The others, they will be something else, if they survive that is."

"So, Hinata and Ino getting Kyubi's what chakra essence is different than just absorbing chakra from someone?"

"Yes. The kyuubi made a formal contract. The extra chakra they have now is theirs so there is no rejection. Control is harder, but only because there is a lot. It is not like Naruto, who has to fight the kyuubi chakra injected in his system for control."

Hinata said, "So we are fine with what we have, but can't necessary accept others without consequence. I had hoped that chakra might be able to flow along Ino's link to whoever needed it."

Tsunade's eyes widened. "That is an interesting thought. Your and Ino's chakra is similar enough now for it to possibly be okay, assuming you could figure out how to do it. I wouldn't recommend it just for fun, but it probably wouldn't result in damage. I also suspect Naruto could accept chakra from you in moderate amounts, since even though it is quite different now, much of your chakra was originally the Kyuubi's, and he is used to that. I'm less than sure about the other way. I'd not recommend Naruto try anything but his best effort at medical chakra. This is all theoretical. We just don't know."

Ino said, "Sakura, you can't tell Sasuke or anyone any of this, okay?"

She nodded.

Ino said, "We know from my memories of the old future that Naruto was able to eventually use sage mode and then use at least a few shadow clones to gather natural energy. I was hoping that could be shared across our link. I'd need to get my own summons."

By this point both Jiraiya's and Tsunade's eyes were wide. Jiraiya said, "You didn't show me that!"

"Oh, guess I missed some things. It did work though. I remember him telling me once that he couldn't sustain sage mode like you could. The Toad elders couldn't merge with him due to the fox."

"Old future?" Sakura hesitantly said.

Jiraiya sighed. "We really need to have a talk about operational secrecy Ino, but the short version is within four or five years all of Konoha's ninja but Ino and Naruto were dead as well as most of its civilians. The entire world was decimated. Naruto used the Kyuubi's chakra to send Ino back. Want more? Bug Ino later."

"And Sasuke?" Sakura asked carefully.

Ino said, "Betrayed us after getting a seal like Anko has. His actions easily cost us the war. That was part of it, but simply put he is not to be trusted with any sensitive intelligence. That doesn't mean Sasuke will betray us with all the changes, but we aren't going to take chances. You, to some extent are trusted. I held you in my arms as you died from a wound created by Sasuke."

"Can I see?"

Ino looked at Tsunade.

"Be quick about it."

\- o -

The united shinobi alliance was a sight to be seen as they fought the remnant of Akatsuki, their allied ninja, and the army of Zetsu clones. As she caught her breath she briefly caught sight of her friend Sakura as chakra flared around her fist before impacting a zetsu clone. The impact exploded the clone and all the ones behind it toppled like dominoes with dozens dead. She then bit her finger and summoned Katsuyu who entered the fight.

Ino lost sight of Sakura for awhile as she fought her own desperate battle. So much of her attention was on battle coordination that she could barely maintain the link she had to Sakura, but when it broke she felt it. She ran towards her even as she saw Sasuke leave her for dead; a partially cauterized hole right through where her heart was.

Ino desperately tried to save her, even as her distress interfered in her ability to reliably form the mystic palm jutsu.

"Don't bother Ino. Save your strength. Too late."

"Dammit Sakura. Use your Creation Rebirth technique."

"No chakra left and not enough time. Your running on fumes too. Don't die. Run. Save yourself."

Ino saw the hoard now coming towards her. She grabbed Sakura and retreated even as the new Sakura asked, "I can't believe he did that."

"Believe it, and I still don't think it was all Orochimaru's seal. This Sasuke hasn't done any of it and there are people trying to help him, but if he betrays us again, I will kill him. Sure he had a hard life, but certainly no harder than Anko, Naruto, or various others."

"Was this why Anko got me? Did I really fawn over him for that long?"

"You had faith in him. Jiraiya thought he may have murdered you to try to evolve his Sharingan. That sick dojoutsu has some strange requirements for the higher forms of it."

Sakura was suddenly feeling ill.

"I was almost as bad, though I gave up about a year before this to chase after this emotionless guy. Naruto and I just ended up being the only ones left. I offered to stay with him, to do anything he wanted, if he would just stop his insane plan to sacrifice himself to send me back in time. A part of me can't really forgive Naruto for doing that. Hinata loves him dearly. It seems she has always loved him dearly, in both lives. I. I, just want everyone not to die."

"Hey, Ino, I know we fought over Sasuke, but that is over. Could we just be friends again?"

"I'd like that."

\- o -

When Ino and Sakura awoke Jiraiya said, "You missed it. The new seal works find for regular chakra. I was even able to pull the chakra from my clone from the seal back into myself without harm. I'm about to try it with sage mode."

They watched as he summoned the toad elders who, after a short discussion and a longer examination of the seal, hopped up on his shoulders. They watched as he shifted to sage mode warts and all.

Sakura said, "Ew, must it be like that?"

Jiraiya glared at her while the others were holding back chuckles. He said, "We'll when you can do better you can talk."

Tsunade looked at him amused. She picked up the scroll. "Are you ready pervert? I'll create a clone who will hold it out for a second, then shunshin away. If the scroll doesn't destroy itself, we will examine it."

"That works." The scroll glowed silver as it absorbed energy before the earth clone vanished in a swirl of leaves.

Jiraiya and the toads maintained sage mode and a minute later the clone and scroll came back, still glowing silver.

Pa said, "Step back everyone and let me look at this." They reluctantly did so, even as the elder toad studied the scroll. "It didn't seal the chakra, though it is kind of clinging to it. I doubt it could hold much more, or have any idea what would happen if it was full. It is probably best to find some way to destroy it."

Naruto asked, "Can I examine it?"

"No, Let Jiraiya boy do it. You have no defense whatsoever."

Jiraiya got closer and took out a notepad. He then began making notes in his own shorthand before moving away and explaining them to Naruto and the others. After almost an hour of discussion the consensus was they had no idea how to seal natural energy, but that this seal did work. It just worked badly and indirectly. They would just need a lot of copies of it. They also had no idea if they could remove enough nature chakra fast enough to protect Tsunade during her training, but they were going to make them anyway.

Ma and Pa Toad walked over to Naruto. Ma said, "He doesn't look like much does he."

"Hey!"

Pa said, "He did make that seal though. That is notable."

"Ino and Hinata-chan helped." Naruto completely missed Hinata's sudden smile.

Ino said, "You did most of it, or rather your mind did. I coordinated and Hinata was our eyes."

Ma looked back at Ino. "So you are Destiny's child. Curious. I'd have almost expected it to be the boy who would come back, if anyone."

"The seal didn't work like that. The person powering it had to keep powering it. They couldn't use it." Her voice became barely audible. "I read his notes. If he was right the jutsu will have destroyed that world and that future around him, with Naruto the last to die."

Everyone looked on in sorrow. Hinata seemed nearly devestated.

Ma nodded. "Perhaps the boy has potential after all."

Pa said, "Perhaps he really is the chosen one as Jiraiya would have us believe. Either way, we will find out."

Ma snorted. "But how could the chosen one fail?"

"He hasn't failed, at least not, though turning the wheel backwards is rather like cheating. I'm not entirely sure it could survive a second attempt. It might shatter the wheel entirely."

Ma said, "Enough of your wool gathering Pa. We are here. We are alive and we have work to do. Now, let us have a little contest. Jiraiya boy plus his girlfriend against the rest of them."

"Girlfriend? Hardly," exclaimed Tsunade.

Pa moved over to the parchment and touched it with a toe. The silver vanished even as his pupils shifted to a bar like shape.

Ma said, "What was the point of that stunt?"

Pa shrugged. "There wasn't that much natural energy there. It seemed better to absorb it that to ruin the scroll."

"Any side effects?"

"No, it seemed clean."

Jiraiya picked up the scroll and ran his fingers over it. "A bit of chakra is sealed inside. I think it separated them. This has potential."

"Careful," Ma said. "You know you still suck at balancing it all on your own."

Jiraiya sulked. "We'll if we are going to spar, let's first move to the middle of the forest of death. I'd rather not make so much noise so close to the village. Hime are you good with carrying Sakura?"

"I can travel myself."

Tsunade said, "Not that far that fast. Fine. I'll take her. You can get the elders." She smirked. "The rest can follow. It should be a good test." Jiraiya quickly put away the scroll.

They vanished in two swirls of leaves even as Ino briefly held hands with Naruto and Hinata. Hinata activated her eyes and disappeared in a swirl of water. Ino followed with her own water shunshin while Naruto trailed in nothing but a swirl of wind.

They arrived almost fifteen minutes later panting only to see the others save for Sakura smirking at them.

After Ino caught a little of her breath she said, "What is the big idea? Even with the link and Hinata we barely managed that gigantic abuse of the Shunshin jutsu, and only because Hinata's eyes could keep us from colliding with anything. I have no idea how you managed at all!"

Jiraiya smirked. "We aren't Sannin for nothing you know."

Hinata activated her eyes again and glanced at them. "You used more than half of your chakra."

"So?" Tsunade said, "We used far less than you, even with all of your chakra control practice."

Naruto asked, "How?"

Jiraiya said, "Practice. A great deal of practice. Long distance shunshin is an emergency Jounin level technique. Most usually don't manage it. It requires a level of focus few achieve. That you managed it on your first try is impressive, even if you cheated."

Tsunade said, "Bah, we are shinobi. As long as you don't grow a set of Sharingan eyes and copy every jutsu in sight, almost anything else is fair game."

Ino said, "I know what it is. I read about it. I just didn't know anyone who actually used it because of the massive difficulty and chakra cost. What we did was partly based on what I read."

Pa asked bored, "Are you going to fight now?"

Naruto looked worried as he looked over at his teammates. They really were in no shape. He said, "Give us an hour. We can be ready then?"

"Oh?" Ma said, "You are not ready now? Surely you are not out of chakra."

"Hey, it is not chakra. They are physically exhausted. I can try to reduce that, but it was really difficult to get here so quickly."

Ma nodded. "A wise decision. Do your thing."

Naruto spent several seconds to focus before he created two shadow clones and after some effort got Hinata and Ino to lay down so he could try to reduce their muscle fatique with healing chakra. Twenty minutes later the clones ran out of chakra and popped.

Naruto started to make another set but was stopped when Ino said, "Don't. Your clone did enough. How are you doing?"

Naruto shrugged. "Kurama fixed it."

Sakura said, "I still can't believe you managed to travel that entire distance. That was what close to a days worth of running?"

Hinata said, "Not quite, but close," even as she unsealed a rations bar and a bottle of water. The others quickly did the same.

After a short while Ino looked at Hinata who nodded. She said, "We are ready, but I'll need a few minutes with Sakura."

Tsunade and Jiraiya shrugged.

Sakura went over to Ino before they both disappeared in a swirl of water before reappearing a few thousand feet away. Ino asked, "How are you doing with it all?"

"I'm fine."

"Are you really Sakura?"

"Would you be? I've been trying to hold it together since I saw Sasuke kill me!"

"And what about that personality fragment that likes to hang around your head?"

Sakura blushed furiously. "You know about her?"

"Yes, I've known you longer remember?"

"She hasn't spoken since seeing Sasuke."

"Your compromised. I won't inflict the mental stress of my own link on top of that. You need time and not just iron self control."

Sakura looked immediately relieved.

"You know the shunshin right?"

"Sure"

With that Ino vanished in a swirl of leaves and reappeared back where she was with Sakura appearing next to her a few seconds later.

Ino said, "I'm excluding Sakura. She is not medically in a position where being part of one of my linkages is advisable, nor do I consider her fighting on her own advisable at this time."

Tsunade looked on in concern as did the others. "What did you show her before? It wasn't just her dying was it?"

"No."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow at her. "Fine. Sakura is a non combatant. No attacks are to go near her. Now can we begin?"

Hinata's eyes activated as all three seemed to go into an extreme alert state. Water started cascading in from all directions even as vines started to grow from the ground to entangle the two sannin. They easily broke free.

Naruto created dozens of clones that scattered. Ino and Hinata each created around a dozen a piece as they also scattered. A trio of clones faced off against Tsunade. The Hinata clone approached with a chakra laced palm strike, only to get dispelled, but for a chakra point in her back to be closed by a Naruto clone. "The hell?"

She barely dodged the similar move to close a chakra point by the Ino clone.

"Since when can you all use Jyuken, or are these all Hinata clones?"

A dozen Naruto clones came at her with glowing palms, even as a torrent of water surrounded her and began to crystallize into ice.

Jiraiya seemed to be doing a little better as he just used an overpowered Katon Karyu Endan to blow a bunch of clones away.

He smiled before he was suddenly ripped out of a genjutsu by having a half dozen chakra points closed. The only clones nearby wore Ino and Naruto's smirking expressions, even as four trees shot up around him. He changed places with a nearby log.

"Hime. Watch out for genjutsu and Jyuken."

"Already noticed the Jyuken and fixed it."

Jiraiya yelled, "Doton, Swamp of the underworld!" even as he slammed his hands in the ground.

An Ino clone popped out of the ground and said, "Do you think it is wise to give me such a chakra powered section of earth to work with. Why I could do this."

Vines shot out of the swamp and attempted to catch him. Fire burned them away even as water shot in at his feet while a Naruto jumped up and grabbed on while both were frozen solid.

"Now, the apparently not a clone Naruto yelled."

"Shintenshin no jutsu."

Jiraiya brute forced his way out of the ice and dodged the attack. The clone that initiated it dispelled.

Tsunade was a little ways away when she was forced to shatter the Earth to disrupt the rasengans held by a bunch of Uzumaki clones. The sound of pops indicated that she had apparently killed a few clones in the process.

She was surprised when a lone Naruto rushed her. She prepared to chakra punch him only to see him shift his own attack into a chakra flaring punch at the last second. Their hands rammed together only for the clone to explode and her own to end up a bloody mess. She started healing it.

Ma said, "Tsunade is out. Continue."

Water started to swirl around Jiraiya before becoming more fierce. Wind was added till it became a whaling sound. Vines grew inside the swirl trying to further ensnare Jiraiya, only for him to dive into the Earth to get away.

Jiraiya again blew away dozens of clones with another overpowered fireball only for Hinata to get behind him and deliver a half dozen hits that closed chakra points before being replaced by ino who traced her hand over the front of his face. Suddenly he felt pain. He started to kick Ino away, when she dropped into the earth. Suddenly something much like the storm before but in a flat disk was wailing as it sliced through the air to him. He jumped out of the way and back kicked another clone of Naruto.

Naruto created dozens more clones. Those clones mixed with more Ino and Hinata clones from somewhere came at him. Jiraiya took them on with pure taijutsu killing clones left and right, but taking hits all the same until Pa said, "End. Your tagged Jiraiya."

He looked down to find a blank seal tag attached to his leg. He grabbed it an pocketed it before heading over to Tsunade. "We really should have taken them more seriously. How's the hand?"

"It is tricky to regenerate, but I'll have it in another twenty minutes or so." She asked Hinata, "How were all those clones using Jyuken?"

Ino smirked. "An Ino link is not just communications. Sure, we couldn't beat a Hyuga doing that, but its enough for us to bastardize the Jyuken a fair amount and we are getting better."

Jiraiya said, "I'm surprised you all weren't running around with rasengans."

Hinata held out her hand as a Rasengan formed.

Ino did the same before they both let it vanish. She said, "I really don't have enough free focus to maintain one and keep the link up. I'm working on it, but that is a current limit."

"And you?" asked Tsunade to Hinata.

"Part of my focus is taken up processing all the visual information so my friends do not get caught up by surprise. It takes considerable effort."

Ino said, "We have tried larger links, but it just isn't worth it to link the clones directly. They form up their own small links and with effort we can communicate with them, but it is more like giving orders. We don't sense them."

Tsunade said, "So that link is not without downsides, though your ability to coordinate is beyond valuable. Just what was your skill level before coming back?"

Ino said, "I was probably borderline S-ranked before coming back. All in all, compared to many I was crap. Our enemies were just that difficult. As for the downsides, well, I'm still working on it. Mostly any attacks used should be very well practiced, hence while we might be able to pull off a Rasengan while standing still, it is still beyond us in battle."

Jiraiya asked, "This link you created. Is it intended to be used to counter Nagato and his Rinnegan?"

Ino said, "Partly. It is also an outgrowth of my ability to coordinate a battle. I am trying to extend the ability, but it is difficult. Naruto is actually surprisingly helpful there. Yamanaka have brains that just work slightly differently. It is what enables many of our jutsu, but does force us to learn some things slightly differently."

She continued, "Naruto is helpful because his brain is also slightly different. Like a Yamanaka he can think of a dozen or so concepts at a time, save he can do more, but usually with less focus. The neat thing is, that while I can think through the problems analytically, even in battle, he has some kind of natural battle insight. Solutions almost appear to him. Now they may not be optimal, but they are usually at least viable, and with our help they normally reach up a few levels. He can analyze a situation and come up with a solution in the blink of an eye. We actually depend on Naruto to do much of the on the fly re-plans. Hinata works her tail off to track the entire battle and provide us only the key information, while still fighting herself. Seriously, like the rest of us oddballs, the Hyuga seem to have brains optimized to handle the visual overload those eyes produce."

Tsunade said, "Impressive. I judge that you could have probably killed perhaps even elite Jounin if this was serious. Technically you won against us, but we are out of practice working together, and everyone was only sparring. I'm not sure what the outcome would have been if we were serious, though I think had I practiced more with the pervert, the situation would change, as it would if we continued. You're good, but much of your skill is relying on misdirection and that link plus probably Ino's actual skills to plug holes. Don't get me wrong. I'm not complaining. For three genin, your skill is ridiculous, but if you do go up against Akatsuki, I expect you would end up dead."

Ino said, "We know. We have done all we can. We have plans to fight any of them we might encounter as well as others, including getting away if we can."

Hinata said quietly, "We are all working as hard as we can, and we will not stop. Naruto-kun and Ino-san will not die, on my eyes I swear it!"

Naruto looked at her softly in surprise. Ino just smirked.

Tsunade said to Ino, "Come here."

Ino walked over to her. Tsunade summoned her own mystic palm jutsu and began scanning her head. "You're fine."

Ino said, "My brain isn't the problem. Yamanaka brains are weird like that. Naruto's and Hinata's are a greater concern with their ages. The Kyuubi will probably heal Naruto regardless and the chakra Hinata and I absorbed seems to naturally heal, so Hinata is likely also fine, but there is a lot of information to handle. I have to buffer and choose what is sent."

Tsunade walked over to Hinata and after a few minutes check she said, "You're fine, but I want weekly exams from now on got it? I think Ino is keeping this safe, but if it looks to be headed in the other direction I will stop it. It may also be as she says, and your both just well suited for this, but we need to be cautious."

Hinata said, "I will, of course, attend the checks."

"Stubborn one eh? I'm not trying to stop your development. I'm just trying to make sure it doesn't crash. There is a fine line between S-ranked development and dead. Let's stay on the right side of it okay?"

Hinata nodded.

She then repeated the test on Naruto. "I don't know why I bothered. Unless I checked right as we finished it was probably pointless. You're fine."

Ma Toad said, "I think that our new summoner has well proven herself." All eyes turned to her.

"Herself," Tsunade asked warily.

"Yes. Ino Yamanaka will be our new summoner."

Ino's eyes widened. Her mouth opened but no sound came out.

Jiraiya said, "But, I had thought Naruto would be, given he was last time and he is Minato's boy."

Ma Toad said, "The boy has potential, but right now the girl interests me more." She looked at Pa Toad who nodded. She continued, "Besides, if you are going to do everything again, then it makes sense not to do it the same way."

Ino said, "I don't know what to say. Actually, won't Naruto need the strength he gets from your help and from Sage mode?"

Pa said, "Sage mode is a tricky thing. For those few that master it, it tends to enhance what is already there. If you master it, you likely will remain physically weaker than the Naruto you remember was when he mastered it, but mental based processes will also be vastly accelerated."

"It would allow me to coordinate more easily?"

Ma said, "Probably. We have never had a potential like you."

Jiraiya said, "We'll we will either need to find a summon for Naruto, or simply let him take his chances and see what he connects with."

Pa said, "I'm sure you will figure something out. If we did accept a second summoner per generation then we would gladly accept him, but the potential Ino represents is not something we will easily pass up. I'll let Gamabunta know, but for now Ino can sign and we can go."

Jiraiya hesitantly removed the scroll from his back.

Ino said softly, "This is not right. Naruto sacrificed himself to send me back and this is how I pay him? No, I can't do this to him."

Ma said, "You will repay him by becoming a sage and using that power to keep them all alive. He sacrificed himself not for you, but for a chance to save everyone. You will not fail his memory in this."

Ino sighed. She looked over at Naruto and asked, "Are you okay with this?"

Sakura looked at Naruto curiously as did Tsunade.

Naruto shrugged. "I used to say I wanted to be Hokage, but after learning all this stuff, I just want to make sure everyone lives, and if this will help, I'm fine with it."

Both Sakura and Tsunade smiled softly at this, while Hinata and Jiraiya never looked more proud.

"Okay."

Jiraiya already had it unrolled. "Sign in blood then bloody your fingertips and sign with the hand you will use to summon."

Ino quickly did so before absently healing her finger. It all seemed unreal as Pa and Ma rolled up the scroll between them and vanished.

Naruto said, "Its going to take us a couple days to make as many scrolls as you want."

Tsunade said, "The pervert and I will help. Sakura can help check them over. She has an eye for such detail."

Naruto nodded.

\- o -

Early the next morning before everyone else was active saw Naruto waiting outside the Hokage's office. After the Hokage arrived Naruto followed him in and waited for the Hokage to close the door.

"Naruto, what are you doing here?"

"Jiraiya introduced the toads yesterday."

"I heard that. I was quite surprised the toads chose Ino. It is almost unheard of a summons to ignore the wishes of their current summoner in choosing a successor."

"About that. Is there any chance?" Naruto couldn't bring himself to finish.

"The Monkey contract is a family contract." he said softly.

"I don't need their help forever. I just have to get through all the current mess."

Hiruzen considered. "I had hoped Konohamaru would show potential, yet I know from talking with Jiraiya that he never summoned the monkeys."

Naruto said, "That does not mean he could not do so this time."

"True. Why don't we see what Enma thinks?"

Hiruzen nicked his finger and summoned his old friend.

The Monkey King Enma was still fit with age, yet his hair was a bleached white."

"Sarutobi why have you called me?"

"A curious thing happened yesterday. Naruto, why don't you make your own case, while I get some work done. It is you he must judge after all."

Naruto went on to calmly explain the situation and what happened yesterday. "So you see, I was worried that I wouldn't be able to protect them."

Enma said softly, "You know the Monkey contract is a Sarutobi contract, do you not?"

"I do, I just thought I'd at least ask. I even considered just trying to summon and seeing what happens, but what if I'm killed or away from them when they need me?"

Enma asked, "Are you sure this isn't about jealousy or something?"

Naruto's eyes widened in surprise. "No. They think Ino will be stronger with it that everyone will have a better chance, but what if that is not enough? Everyone died last time! Sure I could try to get the Kyubi to send her back again or something, but would it even work?"

"It would not," Enma muttered.

Hiruzen was half paying attension. He asked, "Did I hear you correctly? The time travel thing would not work again?"

"After you first talked to me I investigated with those that know these things. The fabric that holds reality was stretched tight by what the old Naruto did. It is like a drum with the screws screwed far too tight. I don't blame him for it, but it cannot happen again. The world probably wouldn't survive it."

Enma said, "I will not permit you to sign the Sarutobi contract. That is for them, to be used or not to used."

Naruto sighed, "I thank you for your consideration." He started for the door.

Enma grunted. Naruto whipped his head around. Enma said, "I will have created a temporary contract, one that we may cancel at any time. I will also help train you. If at the end of two years you are not a true sage the contract will end. If you are, you may continue to call us ally, and us you, provided you do your duties as our summon. Yes, it goes both ways. In exchange to be able to summon us, we may summon you."

"But what if me leaving leaves the others in danger?"

"I think you underestimate your friends. We do not ask you to forsake your friends, but we expect the same consideration."

"Oh, that's fine then. I would never turn down more friends."

Enma said, "Return to your tasks. I will have the contract ready by this time tomorrow and then the training will begin."

"I'm sorry, but I have to help the others finish the natural energy capture scrolls. Tsunade-san needs them for her own sage training."

"The what? Perhaps you should explain."

Naruto shrugged. "They are just a variant of the regular capture scrolls I was making. They don't even work that well. Natural energy kinda clings to it while regular chakra gets sealed inside. They do work though. Jiraiya and Tsunade think it will be of aid during Tsunade's training so she doesn't turn to stone."

"Show me?"

Naruto said dubiously, "Well, I can make a scroll."

Hiruzen said, "Let's go to the map room. It is as good an area as any."

"Fortunately I'm getting pretty good at this one."

Naruto noticing sealing supplies already available gestured to them and was quickly told he could use them. He created two additional shadow clones and also unsealed some of his own supplies before all three started to really quickly draw the rather complex seal.

Hiruzen said absently to Enma, "Amazing isn't it? It is even faster with Ino and Hinata helping."

Fifteen minutes later Naruto declared it done after a quick check with his own chakra. He said, "This should work. Just touch it with natural energy. We only tried it with Jiraiya for about a second. We are not sure how much it will take. It might explode." The last he said apologetically, as if he was somehow at fault for the inferior product.

Enma held very still for several seconds. His eyes just started to change before he briefly touched the seal on the table. Silver light flowed over the outside of the scroll in ever varying patterns. "Curious. Care to try absorbing a tiny bit Hiruzen? That much should be safe with your chakra levels."

"I'm not sure. What happens if I don't use it?"

"It will dissipate naturally. It is only when you balance your internal energy with natural energy that the major benefits are realized."

Hiruzen absently touched the edge of the scroll. The silver power crawled up his arm and briefly made his eyes silver before fading.

Enma said, "You do understand the potential here do you not?"

Hiruzen paled. "This secret must not get out. I'm declaring it S-ranked."

Enma said, "I wish to take this scroll with me."

Naruto shrugged. "I did my best. We all did. I still don't really understand natural energy. I'm not quite sure what it did will work correctly, or why it works at all. In case I haven't said it enough, a new seal operating in an unexpected way is usually not good. I can't count how many brave shadow clones have died on my seals."

Enma said, "I understand. I shall bring it to my seal master. It shall be treated with every caution."

Hiruzen said, "Make sure it is guarded well or destroyed. If your right, the last thing this world needs is a lot of natural energy users."

Enma said, "It is worse than that. If too many existed it might threaten the world itself. They are to be guardians of the balance not the ones that end it."

Naruto said, "So, you are worried if too many people can use natural energy it will be like another god tree pulling all the natural energy from the world and leaving it for dead?"

Enma's eyes widened. He turned to Hiruzen. "You knew of this?"

Hiruzen said, "Most of it. I think Jiraiya knows more and of course Ino is the only one who has everything. I was planning on summoning you later this week and going over more of it."

Naruto said, "I could ask Ino if she is willing to share with you what she shared with her dad and Jiraiya."

Hiruzen said, "Jiraiya was sick for days. A normal mind is not meant to handle it like a Yamanaka's can. I'm not sure how you would do."

Enma said, "I am here now. Is there anything you can't delay?"

"No, I will clear my schedule."

Enma said, "Good. If I am to protect my people I must have accurate information."

Before Naruto could slip out Hiruzen told him, "Find Jiraiya and Tsunade. Inform them of my decree, then tell the others."

Naruto said, "I will."

\- o -

Kiba and Shino were busy dodging various snakes when Jiraiya stopped by and talked with Anko out of ear shot while they continued to run for their lives.

Kiba said, "I wonder what that is for."

"Probably explaining why Sakura didn't make it today. If a Sannin is involved it is important. Come on. They are catching up!"

\- o -

Tsunade explained the Hokage's idea of only transferring nature chakra into the seals and then using that method to regulate how much was absorbed until she had the hang of it. Katsuyu forbid her to try it. She would permit Hinata to try to absorb natural energy from Tsunade if she got in trouble. She would also permit Sakura to attempt to use the seals to help Tsunade, but that was it and the second was only a concession to the fact that Sakura lacked the chakra reserves to even try to absorb natural energy at her age.

They stood before a nearly twenty acre silver late with trees completely surrounding it and even dipping their roots directly into it. Not a cloud was in the sky. The lake was surrounded by thousands of parts of Katsuyu as Tsunade, Sakura and Hinata entered the clearing.

Tsunade said, "I'll have to release and remove my genjutsu and my seals before I do this. Sakura get me a couple of the seals. Maybe the stored chakra can be saved and later recovered."

Sakura opened one and gave it to her before opening another.

Before their eyes the beauty that she wore like a cloak fell away. She was still an attractive woman, but now she showed her true age along with the beginning of white hair.

Blue power continued to flow into the first seal until she felt resistance. She set it down and started on the next and was about to ask for a third when she felt the last of her hundred strength seal fade away.

She smiled at her apprentices. "It has been quite some time since I've been like this. It is strange. A part of me wants to instantly begin rebuilding the seal but it is likely a bad idea. Balancing my chakra with natural energy is going to be hard enough without adding that seal into the equation. I just hope I can restore it and continue to use it when we are done."

Sakura and Hinata looked at her in concern, even as Sakura carefully packed one of the full scrolls in her pack while giving Hinata the other.

Katsuyu asked, "Are you ready?"

"Yes, but what do I have to do?"

"You must walk on top of the lake to the other side. The natural energy in the water will test your control to the extreme. It will be absorbed by your body with every step. You must control it and limit how much enters or you will die."

"Can I just walk a few steps at first to get used to it?"

"You may take any path you wish save you may only be helped as we agreed. It usually takes months of effort before one can cross the entire lake. Most die. There are many statues at the bottom of the lake."

Tsunade asked, "I assume that is only the beginning. What is after that?"

"After that you must remain in the water up to your neck for twenty four hours without dying. You may stay in shorter times and your assistants may try to save you, but the danger to them grows exponentially. You may only pass if you can survive twenty four hours. You may have regular water provided to you, but that is it, while you are in the lake."

"Jiraiya talked about first sitting incredibly still and then sitting in toad oil and getting whacked in the head by Pa Toad."

"My path is different. If your control is enough to resist even this concentration of natural energy then the rest is easy."

Hinata said, "For this to work, I must also at least do the first part, otherwise I would not be able to save you and it would be suicide for Sakura to even try if you weren't within reach."

"We shall see. First it will be me on the edges and then a bit farther out. Once I can determine the danger we will go from there."

Tsunade was very hesitant as she took a step forward until Katsuyu interrupted. "You may go only as you were born."

Tsunade sighed. "I knew this sounded too easy. With the sandals I could have kept some separation. Without them the natural energy will have a direct path right into my chakra system. The chakra I'm going to have to emit to stand will just make it that much easier."

Hinata said, "I wish Ino was here. I could l could link with you and help."

Tsunade said, "And end up with natural energy slipping around your link and killing you both."

Tsunade quickly removed her clothing and set it against a tree. She was still amazingly fit for her age. She nudged a toe in before yanking it back. Silver flared over her body before settling. "We'll that's enough for awhile. Let's find something to eat and discuss your training, but first, Hinata can you make out the natural energy in me?"

Hinata activated her Byakugan and looked closely at Tsunade. "I believe so."

"Good, I want you to watch periodically without telling me anything. Continue watching periodically until tomorrow morning or until I say I'm sure it is gone. Your my check on my senses and I am a check on yours. Sakura, can you sense anything?" Sakura stepped forward. "No, you can't examine me with any jutsu, not while it is my system."

Sakura said, "Just a flash. It was bright for lack of a better word. There may be a hum or something from you, but it is hard to tell. What was it like?"

"Amazingly quick. It reminded me of water chakra, but that may be just because it is in water. It clearly is not water chakra. It was calm right until it met my chakra and then surged through me. I think I may be able to control it a little better next time. I'm hoping Hinata will figure out some things from my efforts."

They started their dinner and then the topic quickly moved to secondary affinities. Hinata demonstrated the formation of ice cubes in her glass of water. It was a neat trick, but not remotely combat ready.

Sakura asked, "I don't get it. Sure Ice is interesting, but you still need water to get it, and your already very dangerous with water. What does it gain?"

"I considered that. Some opponents will be very difficult to hurt with water, so Ice or air gives me other options. Ice also may allow me to stop an opponent long enough for Ino to do her mind transfer jutsu, or even to simply wrap an opponent in vines. I have also talked with Ino about the Kyubi. The thought of it going wild with Naruto's body scares me. He would never forgive himself if he hurt us or others. With Ice I might be able to slow him enough for Ino's wood jutsu to stop him if I had to."

"Oh. That makes sense."

Tsunade asked, "Do we have any idea if Ino's fake Mokuton will even slow a biju? There was that ANBU Hiruzen has somewhere that Orochimaru experimented on. Perhaps Ino could compare notes."

"She has already worked with him a few times. I was helping. It didn't help much. She has to control earth, water, and yang chakra to a very fine degree. It is almost automatic with Tenzo. The effect may be the same. The how is certainly not."

"What about you Sakura? I believe you had fire as a secondary."

Sakura blew a fine stream of fire gently onto their small fire.

"Repeat it into the air. Hinata see if you can weave air in there. Keep it small."

Sakura's stream of fire now flared twice as hot before vanishing.

"Increase by half. Try again."

The flare was now very bright before it suddenly stopped. Sakura coughed up smoke before she started healing her throat.

Tsunade asked, "Alright?"

"It touched my lungs a bit. Could one of you look. It is harder for me to heal there."

Hinata stepped over to her, activated her eyes, and gently began scanning her friend. A few minutes later she said, "Done, but you should wait a few hours before doing more."

Sakura thanked Hinata before absently setting her hand on the ground and forming a small maze. Hinata seeing it attempted to form water into the same shape.

Tsunade said, "Hinata, change to ice. It fits here better and you will learn more."

Hinata didn't respond, but the effects were obvious as the maze walls started slowly and painstakingly forming from ice.

Tsunade said, "Sakura, fire doesn't have to be created from your lungs or mouth, though it is easier to start. Try to light a leaf directly with your chakra. Here, I'll show you." She plucked a leaf, held it between two fingers on her right hand and flared her chakra. It burst instantly into flames.

They kept at it, one task after another, always keeping busy, always learning something. When they were low on chakra Tsunade switched to medical knowledge. When they were mentally exhausted she switched to taijutsu only to shift back to medical before sleeping.

The next morning after breakfast Tsunade said, "Hinata after my foot leaves the water I want you to try to manipulate a few drops of the water,but keep it well away from anyone. At the first sign of trouble stop. Understood?"

"I understand, but I'm not sure what I'm looking for. The energy is clear enough to recognize, but I don't really understand it."

"I don't honestly know if you will be indirectly affected or not. If you show any signs of problems Sakura will have a scroll nearby and I will also be nearby to attempt to pull the energy from you. If you show no signs of problems we will continue to carefully test. It may be that you could save me by simply removing the water from near me or at least decreasing it, but that option is useless if it harms you. As with anything unknown we start as small as possible."

Tsunade removed her clothing once again.

Hinata activated her Byakugan. "I am ready. I will also warn you if you seem to be in danger."

"Understood."

\- o -

Tsunade could hardly believe she was doing this. She focused her control on her right leg and then her right foot. She virtually stopped the chakra flow in her foot and leg. Water walking was not her goal.

She walked to the edge and firmly held onto the ground with chakra using her left foot and then extended her right foot to just above the natural energy laced water. She reinforced her control on her right foot and leg and touched in a toe before removing it.

Good, her control was adequate, at least to start with. The natural energy could not enter past her control, at least while it was locked down this tightly. She gently lowered her right foot so just the bottom touched the water.

She was astonished how difficult it suddenly became to resist the energy flow. She dared not let any inside, not until she could first be sure to stop the flow and keep it stopped. Maintaining the split where chakra flowed down one leg to anchor her solidly to the ground while having no chakra flow down the other was mildly challenging, but she was still an S class ninja for a reason.

She could feel the water flowing under her foot, but that was not the curious part. She could feel the energy. It was wild, chaotic, and dare she say eager? She relaxed her control in her right foot the smallest possible amount. No change. She kept repeating that process, moment after moment, until about a minute later she felt it trickling in. She heard Hinata say, "A trickle is dispersing in your body. At this rate you will be back where you were in about ten minutes."

She suddenly felt a surge, as well as hear Hinata's warning to stop. She slammed down her control and jumped away from the lake. She saw the splash of dangerous water brought up with her foot and made sure to avoid it. The splash of water formed into a ball. Hinata was holding it in the air with her mastery of water. She asked, "Are you okay Hinata?"

"I am fine. What do you want me to do with the water?"

Tsunade considered where she was at now. That surge brought her almost to half way where she was at yesterday. She didn't understand how such a large amount could blow past her control. She asked, "How much natural energy is in the ball of water?"

"Not a great deal. You already pulled much of it from this bit."

Tsunade held out her hands cupped in front of her. "Position the water about a foot over my hands then pull back your control on a three count releasing on zero."

Hinata did so then on zero Tsunade reached out with her own control of water and held the ball in the air in front of her. She was hardly a master of water but this she could do. She let her control over water chakra keep the ball suspended with only her left hand as she formed a diagnostic jutsu with her right hand. She brought the jutsu close as she struggled to figure out the readings. The jutsu quickly fell apart as the remaining chakra used it as a path back into her body. "Crap."

She managed to use her control over water to move it back to the lake. It was just water now.

"We have to be very careful. The natural energy in that water shot right through my diagnostics jutsu. I'm not even sure how safe Hinata really was with the water. Distance may help. I don't know." She looked at Hinata and Sakura as she tried to figure out a way for this process not to take forever. She could move the energy to scrolls, or rather have Sakura help with that, but as her life wasn't in danger Katsuyu may not approve.

She walked over to Hinata and then looked back towards Sakura. "Sakura I need you to remain well away. I believe it may be possible for me to pass only natural energy to Hinata, and then with practice she may be able to pass it back. I'm hoping we can learn something by doing it."

"If that works, could you pass a small amount to her and then have her pass a safe amount to me?"

"Maybe, we will have to see. I'm not sure it is worth the risk though. Once you are open to natural energy it is easier to pull it in in the future, and you just don't have enough regular chakra yet to have a comfortable margin to balance it. Best to just keep a seal ready in case something surprising happens." Focusing on Hinata, she asked, "Are you okay with this idea?"

"Yes," she said stoically.

Tsunade focused inward, trying to separate the natural energy from her own chakra. She couldn't find any separate parts to focus on. Sure she knew her chakra was not normal right now. She could even roughly see how it was slowly becoming normal again and estimate when it would complete, but with her own impressive internal mastery she could not find anything to separate. She called up a diagnostics jutsu and examined her own chakra. No matter how finely she refined her jutsu there was nothing to pull apart. It was as if it had never been anything else, yet she could also see it changing back.

She asked, "Hinata, can you see any separation between my chakra and the natural energy?"

"No, they are blended so finely I can't find the separation. I can only see that it is different, not what makes up the differences."

"Great. We'll I'll not risk sending my mixed chakra into your system. I considered converting it to medical chakra first but there are too many unknowns." Tsunade looked at her seriously. "Your chakra reserve greater than mine. Can you control chakra as I did enough to safely get a very small amount in your system? This is not an order. I want your honest opinion. Can you do this safely?"

Hinata deactivated her eyes and considered for close to a minute. Finally she said, "At this time I do not believe I could necessarily react quickly enough if I hit a surge like you did. I do not believe the chances of me failing are high, but as you are already compromised and me failing would risk Sakura without sufficient justification. I would be willing to risk it if you were recovered."

"Fair enough. It is better for one of us to be completely without natural energy during tests. Pulling in each others chakra is not really fun or entirely healthy, but we can deal with those problems. Actually, you two know how it works, if only with clones. Hinata use up some chakra. Sakura work with Hinata and transfer to her a small amount. Afterwards work with Hinata to determine and correct any negative effects. If that works reverse it."

Sakura said, "I thought this skill was so dangerous?"

"It is, but then medic ninja can fix a lot of what they screw up particularly if they can do so early. Keep it small and it is a great learning experience, and if you have enough practice with that particular person you can directly share chakra. A skilled medic can take that jutsu beyond the normal hamhanded approach into something approaching practical if still dangerous."

\- o -

Sakura looked dubious as Hinata wasted a bunch of chakra making a dozen shadow clones and then having them all make rasengans before going at each other with intent to kill. The whole mini skirmish took a fair amount of time since none of them were exactly waiting to be impaled, but less than five minutes later they were all chakra smoke.

Sakura approached Hinata who still looked fresh. She could hardly comprehend how much chakra she just burned. Hinata activated her Byakugan. She held our her own right hand face up and pooled pure chakra into it even as Hinata held out her own right hand and just as Jiraiya and Tsunade taught pulled it into her own system and made it her own.

Hinata smiled as she finished. "You chakra is nice. I remember when mine was much like this. Now it is much more dense and more difficult to control."

Tsunade asked, "Any problems Hinata?"

"None, though I'll let Sakura check to be sure."

She laid down as Sakura ran her own mystic palm justu over her body.

Sakura said, "Her chakra is so much more dense than mine, that I doubt think my chakra could damage her tenketsu if I tried."

Tsunade looked them both over for any obvious issues while she considered the problem. "Sakura it may be possible to increase your reserves significantly while your here, but it will be dangerous."

"How?" she asked curiously.

"Let Hinata give supply you a bit of her chakra. It will be temporary but the stress on your chakra channels should widen them slightly. We need to be very careful though and do this slowly. Actually have her try with the purest she can make medical chakra. That should be safer."

Sakura said hesitantly, "Okay."

Hinata smiled at her. "I'll watch as I supply it, but you will be the one who absorbs it so you can just move your hand."

Sakura asked, "Are you sure you two can fix this if it messes up?"

"Pretty sure," Tsunade said, "I have rebuilt some pretty messed up chakra systems. Now admittedly few other than me have the skill, but fortunately I'm here. Just take it easy and go slow. The problem with shooting for S rank is there are no safe paths. There are just paths that are less dangerous."

Sakura nodded.

Hinata held out her right hand palm up as it glowed a brilliant soft green as medical chakra pooled in her hand like water.

Sakura focused on the reverse of the jutsu she did before as she let the chakra into her system. It burned, but in such a sweet way. She didn't know whether to yell in pain or laugh in the glory of it all. She pulled faster! Suddenly Hinata's hand was yanked away along with Hinata who jumped several steps back.

"Report!" snapped Tsunade.

Hinata glanced at Sakura. She was standing but seemed to be out of it. "Everything was going normally and then I felt Sakura actually pull hard. She got significantly more than I intended before I pulled back. I am uncertain if I should risk checking her. If my chakra caused this..."

Tsunade created a shadow clone who immediately moved Sakura into a resting position and then spent the next ten minutes carefully scanning her before stepping well clear and dispersing.

Tsunade said, "She is about double her normal max chakra amount. The strain on her tenketsu and coils is considerable, but I detected no significant problems."

"Why is she out of it?"

"Her brain is undamaged, but the shift in chakra has her unconscious. Autonomous systems are working though I'm going to have to make sure they stay working until she adapts. Damn, how did this happen? Your chakra must really be different."

"Can you absorb it?" asked Hinata?

"Too risky. I don't want to risk any of this natural energy getting into her system. My clones diagnostic was dangerous enough. If I open up an absorption path she just might somehow try to repeat what happened to you. I'm assuming the energy touched a primal reflex, like a narcotic or similar. Curious that. Dependency is one of the obscure side effects of the jutsu, but it should take months, not seconds."

She continued. "I don't understand it, but until we understand what happened, I'm not going to risk making it worse. Her coils are stable and while they might take some damage holding this much chakra, it is fixable plus now that the deed is done we might as well see if she can get an increase in her reserve size out of it. The excess will bleed off in time, though I'm really hoping her coils expand a fair amount for all this drama."

Hinata asked, "Is their anything I can do?"

"Sure, you can check her autonomous systems from a distance can't you?"

Hinata nodded.

"Continual visual monitoring and Byakugan checks every ten minutes."

"How long do you think this will last?"

"I'm not sure," she admitted. "I'm guessing a day or two or maybe a week at the outside. I'm going to go burn off most of my chakra. It is the only way to safely speed the removal of this natural energy and get where I can treat her."

Hinata looked disappointed.

"Your training is credible, but chakra systems are delicate, and I don't want your chakra near her till we figure it out. It will take me twenty or so minutes to burn through my chakra and then a couple hours of meditation to be useful for anything. I'll be counting on you until then."

Hinata said resolutely, "I will not let you down."

As she was walking away a fragment of Katsuyu said, "I will not interfere directly in your training, but as you have an injured student, I will look at her if that is your wish."

Tsunade asked, "Do you know what caused it?"

"Not for certain, but I assume it is due to the imbalance in Hinata's chakra. She can deal with it, since it is her chakra, but when transferred to another the yang heavy chakra is disruptive. The reflex was unexpected. It could be that the imbalance exaggerated some of the jutsu's negative effects."

Tsunade said, "Dependency in seconds rather than months? Can you treat her without potentially being affected?"

"I can slowly exchange the excess yang chakra with pure yin chakra from myself. That will leave me temporarily imbalanced, but not in any significant way. I am uncertain if doing so would actually help though. I could also simply pull chakra from her system until the pressure was at a safer level."

Tsunade asked, "Can you go check on her? If it is not really necessary I'd rather she gain something from the pain."

Katusyu began to move towards Sakura. As she did Tsunade said, "I don't say it enough but I do really appreciate all you do for me Katsuyu."

Tsunade watched as the fragment of Katsuyu enveloped and seemed to absorb Sakura whole. As she did so she knelt down on the ground and simply started converting and feeding her chakra back to the Earth at a steady pace. It wasn't as splashy as the exercise she planned, but it did the job and allowed her to keep watch.

Fifteen minutes later Katsuyu moved off Sakura and returned to in front of Tsunade. "There is a problem."

"What?" asked Tsunade quickly.

"She is adapting to the chakra she has, and even to an extent becoming dependent on it. It is happening quite fast. Much has already been done and cannot easily be undone."

"What can we do?"

"Continue to monitor it. Once she is nearly out she will go through withdrawal. Left untreated it might be fatal."

"What is the treatment?"

"Hinata can delay the withdrawal systems by giving her additional chakra, though it should be as little as possible."

"Then that is the cure. Just wean her off it?"

Katsuyu said, "I am sorry Lady Hinata, but I do not believe so. She needs something similar yet non addicting. My best guess would be correctly and carefully balanced sage chakra from Hinata. It would not be as ideal as Hinata having balanced chakra of her own, but that will not happen for years. It will, however, not have the damaging effects, though it may be a slow process."

"Lady Katsuyu are you sure there no other way? That would mean Hinata would have to become a sage at the same time. What about Sakura, would she have to as well?"

"I am uncertain as to whether or not the process would open her to natural energy to a degree that she would be in danger. Hinata-san would have to be very careful not to give her too much, but I believe the Sage chakra should allow her body to recover from the addiction."

"What about me giving her sage chakra, assuming I figure it out?"

"Your base chakra is quite different. The only person who might be able to would be Naruto-san, and only if he becomes a true sage with the chakra control of a medic."

Tsunade snarked, "Yah, that is so not happening. For one he doesn't have a summons. Tell me how much time does Sakura have, assuming Hinata can keep feeding her chakra periodically?"

"I do not advise that solution long term. More than a month may result in damage that cannot be repaired."

"No pressure. Great."

\- o -

Tsunade explained the problem to Hinata. Hinata asked, "Shall I begin my own training?"

"I can't order it. The mistake was mine. I failed to take in account how different your chakra was. I did not anticipate how your chakra, with its native imbalance due to the Kyuubi's donation would affect Sakura in such a manner."

Hinata said, "It does not matter. I may not know Sakura well, but I will not let her die. Besides, I need this strength if I am to stand with my team."

Tsunade watched as Hinata stripped down. Tsunade eyed her body carefully with a medics eye. It was incredibly muscular, even if they were all quite compact. With obvious curiosity she asked, "Just how much training have you been doing?"

"Not remotely enough if you believe Anko-san."

Hinata walked to the edge of the lake and used her control over water to splash her legs gently without stepping in. The shock in her expression was obvious, but she gave not a sound. Technically that was not quite how the training was presented, but it didn't seem to be against the rules.

Hinata carefully walked back over to where she had been watching over Sakura and sat down. She then activated her eyes for a few seconds before stopping. "I don't get it. There was a lot of energy in that little bit. It seems random. It will take me until tomorrow to use it up and recover a useful amount."

"I'll watch Sakura. Go create some shadow clones and practice. Ask Katsuyu for the best place. Don't exhaust yourself, but do tire yourself. I'll help you improve your meditation when you get back. I suspect before we are done, both of us will get very good at rapid chakra recovery. I just hope we have enough food to support it all."

\- o -

Naruto's training under Enma was harsh, though thankfully he was finished for the day. Enma and his hoard of relatives were incredibly hard to keep up with. It made him really miss how helpful Ino could be at coordinating very complex tasks. Of course, if he could improve this aspect of his training, then it would be less work for the others, freeing them up to do more.

Spamming shadow clones just annoyed them. That fact didn't really surprise him. Oh they didn't hate jutsu, but what they wanted was cleverness and guile. Enma in particular wanted him not to overpower them. Any idiot with power could do that. He wanted him to out think them. He shuddered to think how bad he would be right now without his friends help.

The problem was the little devils were really quite clever. He didn't have to out plan one of them. He had to out plan all of them simultaneously. Sure he could create clones, but they thought exactly like he did. Even if created a set and only indicated which general areas they would inevitably produce similar plans. The monkeys he summoned may not have been individually difficult, but they did know how to coordinate very well, and they could pick up on clues the others gave to re-plan on the fly. It was incredibly impressive.

Suddenly he remembered how one of the more complex seals worked. A set of outcomes were possible but which outcome depended on a very complex set of conditions. Could he create a seal that essentially helped an instance of him choose from a set of random plans that also somehow coordinated with the copies of him nearby?

Seals could be affected by seals, and some seals were cloned by the shadow clone jutsu. It really depended on keeping the chakra pattern simple enough that it was cloned. It also helped if the seal didn't contain much chakra. The seal couldn't do much of anything, but some kind of communication was necessary.

Chakra communicators? Could that work? No. Communication was part of it, but it needed to be faster and appear unpredictable. He really needed to know how communications seals worked to see if he could manage to come up with something like he wanted. It could be useful regardless. Heck, Ino could go all out if she wasn't devoting quite so much into helping them. The seal, or some variation of it, might even be something Ino or Hinata might be able to use. Both could create a lot of clones.

He formed a dozen shadow clones. "Alright, get working on this idea. I'm going to go see if the old man has any info on how chakra communicators work."

It turned out that he did, or rather he could point him to a specialist in the R&D division that did. They turned out to be quite simple devices. They actually were a seal array mixed with some basic electronics. He didn't understand the electronics aspect, but then he didn't care to. He wanted, no he needed a pure seal approach.

He absently requested to borrow a table and started drawing a pair of complex seals. Several hours passed while he drew and discarded design after design. Maybe he did need to know how radios worked, at least a little bit? He asked the specialist for a book on how radios worked, but she did better than that. She spent the next two hours explaining it and even showing him how it was done in electronics. They weren't all that complicated. Surely he could make some kind of envelop detector for chakra, and then maybe something to transmit chakra like that. Easier to get the energy from the user, but could perhaps add storage later.

He kept working hour after hour, completely losing track of time. What Naruto didn't notice was that the specialist changed a couple times. He didn't even notice the sandwiches or water that was provided or how many times he went to the bathroom. Nor did he notice the small crowd that had gathered around a video screen who were marveling at someone who seemed to have forgotten how to get tired.

Finally near morning two days later he had it, well sort of. He could use a brush of chakra laced ink and write on one scroll only for it to appear on the other. Unfortunately it was all in a single line. Well that was simple. He would just double the number of arrays and make arrays for both directions, then kind of link them.

He absently created six clones to make an updated set as he drank another cup of coffee. Wait, when did he get coffee? It didn't matter. He would just sit here for a moment. He didn't even notice the moment he fell asleep and his head slumped forward, nor did he notice being carefully moved by Kakashi to a nearby room with a bed in it. His clones, however, did.

\- o -

Hiruzen was surprised to be called to the research center, and he was more surprised with the apparent progress Naruto was making on something for communications. As soon as he saw what Naruto considered a failure he knew the potential. Sure the writing that appeared on the other was illegible, but he looked already on the track to solving it when his normal self fell asleep. Thankfully his clones were not so easily distracted as they finished their work and activated it. One of the clones wrote on one of the papers, only for it to appear line by line on the other.

"Meh, it works, but it isn't what we need. Should we burn it?"

The clones were rather surprised by the several shouts of "No!" that woke up their creator.

Naruto got up and walked to the doorway and looked around briefly. He yawned even as he saw the old man. He said, "Sorry, didn't mean to stay too late. Guess they called you here. Let me gather my trash and I'll." He glanced at a clock on the wall. "Oh hell, I'm going to be late."

"Naruto. Just go home and get some rest. I'll take care of this here and I'll contact Enma to let him know your not feeling good today."

"You sure? Not sure he will accept me slacking."

"I'm sure."

"Okay."

After Naruto exited the building he motioned to Cat and said, "Follow him home. Make sure there are no problems. Hayate can relieve you in a few hours. Make sure he reminds Naruto of the lesson of what happens to the Ninja who exhausts himself needlessly. Konoha may be his home, but it he should not assume it is perfectly safe."

Cat said, "I was surprised everyone let him work so long. Does the seal have that much potential?"

"Perhaps. The others think it will work over long distances or can be made to do so. Heck, if it even serves as a stepping point for what Naruto needed then the answer is probably yes. Even short distance may be valuable. Chakra coms make noise, and you can usually feel them if your sensitive enough. Your more of a sensor than I am. Did you feel that?"

"No," she said quietly, her eyes widening.

The Hokage turned to the tired head of the research center. "I'll expect your utmost care with the security of those notes and the prototype."

"I intend to assign our best seal master to begin studying them as soon as he gets here, which should be anytime now. I want to make sure as much of the work is documented and understood before we test the prototypes."

"Do you think it will eventually work over distances?"

"I do know the chakra emitter structures he created were only short range, but the thing is I'm aware of several variants that can handle much more power. I assume he simply didn't care or think about distance. Either way, if more power is the only limitation then I'm certain we can solve it." He hesitated. A few seconds later he said, "I don't know how detectable it will be if we increase the power. It may be that as long as you don't transmit you aren't noticed. I don't know."

Hiruzen said, "Being detected is a minus, but not a definite one. Just having a way to communicate with other Kage and forces in the field well out of radio range would be a huge plus. The crypto division can issue ciphers if need be, so even being intercepted is not necessarily fatal. Consider this a high priority and do what you can."

"What about Uzumaki? Any chance of his help?"

"He has his own burden to bear. Speaking of it." The old Hokage nicked his finger and blurred through hand signs too fast for anyone there to see before he whispered, 'Kuchiyosi no jutsu."

Enma emerged from the chakra smoke. "Hiruzen? Why have you summoned me and what the hell happened to my student?"

"Naruto spent every second since he finished with your training two days ago trying to come up with a way to beat you all in your own rules. He is unfortunately totally exhausted."

"He should not have let himself get so. Training is important."

"I agree, but I think this too could be important. My department head here can explain it to you."

Enma listened carefully as the seal was explained. After the explanation was done he said, "I agree there is potential here. I may even have some use for them, but how does this answer the question I have forced Naruto to answer?"

Hiruzen smiled. "You have forced him to figure out how to battle with cleverness and guile against your whole family. Now Naruto is hardly dumb. He has cleverness and guile equal to many of your family if not most, but he is one, and even with the clones he is still one. The clones will tend to plan exactly the same since they were exactly the same."

Enma said, "I know. I identified the problem early on. It makes it possible to nearly completely counter the advantage of being able to make all those clones. I didn't have an answer. I wanted to see if the boy could come up with one."

"I'm not sure of all of his plan since I can't see it, but have known several Uzumaki and I knew another certain blonde. When they are pushed to the wall they can and often do surprise you. I can only assume communication is a part though presumably with something more battle ready than this."

Hiruzen turned to his department head. "Tell me, do you think this seal would survive the shadow clone process if it was placed on a human body."

"I'm not sure." He handed Hiruzen a copy. "Try it? The cloned paper should be stable enough, at least while you hold it. The seal is already active."

Hiruzen took the paper and formed a single shadow clone which immediately took a brush and sealing ink and marked a line on the paper. The line immediately appeared on the two originals. Hiruzen dispelled the clone. It vanished.

Enma said, "So, we see a part of the solution. Tell Naruto I will give him the week off to work on this, provided he keeps up his basic training. Tell him I expect to see something impressive."

"I will, and I'll have him work with Anko's team a couple times. He could use the practice with others and they need a spare right now anyway."

Enma nodded. "When you have completed the design, I would request a set of three. How do you erase normally?"

The division head said, "That is simple enough. There is a small spot just here where you can apply chakra to clear it. We might even be able to improve on it. Actually there is another possibility. Hokage-sama could you create another cloned parchment?"

The Hokage took the paper again and then rather than creating a shadow clone used the same basic jutsu used to clone kunai and a second paper appeared. He set both down. "The kunai kage bunshin based clone won't last long."

The division head nodded before grabbing a scrap of an incomplete inactive seal and gave it the tiniest amount of chakra. He set the paper down over the cloned parchments writing area. Nothing happened. Disappointed he pressed on it slightly. Nothing happened. Finally he flipped it over and repeated it. The design appeared on the original papers, albeit dimly and in reverse.

"Better and better," the Hokage said. "Make sure you keep me informed of your progress. I will pass it along to Naruto. Who knows some of it may help."

"I will." Enma vanished and the Hokage left.

He addressed several members of his staff that had watched most of the development. "Okay, as much as I want to keep playing, I need to go home and get some sleep. When Yurika gets here brief her and have her begin work. This is her new top priority."

Shiho said, "You know she is going to love you for changing her task yet again."

"I know, but I trust her to get the job done. If you need me, you know where to find me. Besides as much as she loves to finish tasks, her abilities really are better used getting them to the point that others can finish them."

Shiho said, "Just don't tell her that. Sometimes she seems offended what we come up with is not quite as perfect as what she would have done if she had twice as much time as we were given."

"Don't worry, I won't. Thanks again. I'm getting out of here."

\- o -

Ino stood before the waterfall of muddy natural energy infested water. Just the thought of letting that get all over her was enough to make her nauseous. She had forced this issue, and she was the one who with her mastery of her own mind and body passed the toads stillness training in record time, but this was disgusting. She bet Tsunade didn't have to swim in mud.

\- o -

Hinata found it difficult to focus. It seemed natural energy didn't quite agree with her chakra. Kasuyu assured them that the effect would pass. She also suggested and Tsunade seconded that Hinata focus on Yin release to strengthen that part of her chakra. Short of getting Shikamaru to teach her the secrets of his families famed shadow abilities, all she really had were medical jutsu and genjustu, the later being more purely yin based.

She would create clone after clone and do her best to overcome her clones ability to detect and resist genjutsu. It was very difficult work, but she was sure she was the stronger for it. She had to get better. Sakura's life depended on it. Had her chakra been better balanced none of this would have happened. A part of her wanted to blame the Kyubi for this, but she had accepted and it had been and still was useful. Perhaps this is how the Kyubi felt being half of what he was? She did not know.

She did know that without Ino and Naruto she felt more uncertain of herself. She needed to do this. She needed to become stronger for them. She failed again. Her clones easily seeing through her genjutsu. It didn't matter. She would keep it up. This was necessary. Even without Sakura they had an Uchiha to fight and she would not let them enter the fight unprepared!

She also didn't want to see that vapid and sick face Sakura gave her after she replenished her chakra directly. They should have been more cautious, but no one had anticipated what their changed chakra would bring to the mix. She could heal fine, she just could not transfer chakra to a normal ninja. Creating healing chakra purified it. It hid the potential effects.

Looking inwards she realized that she still had a considerable amount of natural energy based chakra left. She formed the mystic palm diagnosis jutsu and used it to scan her own brain. Continuing would gain nothing but reverse the progress she had made. She moved to sit against a tree and let herself fall fully into the meditation her mentor had taught her. It was biased towards the spiritual component of chakra which itself leaned yin. It was why few medic ninjas overused it. In her cases it not only helped her rebuild chakra but helped her balance. She worried that in her mentor's case it would start to degrade a lifetime of balance. She considered mentioning that her training could go slower, and that only she needed to risk herself so, but she didn't think her words would matter. Tsunade understood the issues very well and would make her own decisions.

Hinata did, however, understand one thing now that she had not yesterday. Just splashing themselves or dropping their feet in a bit was not going to cut it. They had to be willing to go right up to the edge and risk going over. It was only there that true control became possible, for it was only there that the mix became more than just annoying.

Sure maybe it was possible to put just the right amount in or rather on the scrolls, but who could tell what that right amount was? The right amount could also easily be different depending oh the exact composition of their own chakra, how much sleep they had, how much they were distracted, how much they had used, how they had used it. It was all infinitely complex. It still surprised her that Naruto-kun had managed it, even if it was in the future.

Was pure stubbornness a part of the solution? Was the final key just a determination not to yield, not to be swept away by the energy of the greater universe? Doubts would not serve her. She focused on Ino's mental discipline training and let doubts fall from her mind. Success was the only outcome she would accept.

\- o -

The next day Tsunade awoke and eat her usual breakfast of fruits and vegetables. She now knew what part of the problem was. Hinata had helped her with it. She had helped her with her doubts and her fears, but the final battle was always to be her own. Sakura was getting worse. The time for indecision had passed. The time for doubt had passed. She would not lose another.

She walked out on the water and held. Step after step she held. With every ounce of stubbornness she held. She held as more and more natural energy seeped into her system. It did not matter. She would not permit it to have its way. She held. Step after step she held as she approached the far shore. She held. There was so many steps left. She could feel the petrification begin. She held, but it wasn't going to be enough.

\- o -

Hinata was in a near panic when she saw Tsunade walk out onto the lake. She went towards the edge and watched her carefully. She seemed to be doing good. Activating her eyes she could see that while she was doing good, amazingly good in fact, it would not be enough. Natural energy was still leeching in too fast. She would not make it to the other side not unless she could fully halt the flow.

She continued to watch, and as Tsunade neared the middle point, she vanished in a swirl of water and appeared in front of her mentor where she would mostly likely exit the lake. She was still walking and still making progress. The problem was, while she could easily see where this was going, she could not do anything.

Even with her control over water, she couldn't hold back the entire lake. She bided her time even as she stripped off her own clothing. There was a chance she could save Tsunade without dying in the process, but she would have to wait till the last possible instant, since it would do her no good to just walk out to Tsunade only to get them both killed.

Tsunade was now almost three quarters the way across the lake. That would have to do. She began her own walk across the lake, even as her control was stretched to the max with water walking combined with fighting off the infestation. She could not run. The control required to resist the flow of natural energy made that completely impossible. She had to walk at the same slow pace Tsunade herself did. They would meet up in under a minute.

\- o -

Just as Tsunade almost gave into the inevitable she again paid attention to her surroundings. Hinata was nearly upon her. She was going to get herself killed. No. Not again. She would not permit it. She pulled on the dregs of her willpower and pushed back the darkness. The petrification reversed, but she was hanging on by the tiniest of margins.

As they were about to meet she considered her options carefully. She could not surprise Hinata. That above all must be prevented. Hinata expected her to lose. She still might, but she couldn't surprise Hinata. By now if Hinata was anything like she was herself a moment ago then it was unlikely she could think clearly. She also couldn't allow Hinata to pick her up. Hinata would have to more than double the chakra required to remain on the water, and that would vastly increase the rate of contamination.

She did the only thing she could and turned just slightly so that her path would not cross Hinata's. A brief flicker of confusion flickered on her student's face before she turned herself to walk beside Tsunade. One step at a time. That was all that was required. One step at a time.

Five minutes later they both walked to the shore. Tsunade could feel the fire throughout her. It felt like she could do anything, anything at all. She pushed it aside as she looked at Hinata. Her eyes were soft burnished gold.

Several fragments of Katsuyu approached them. The largest said, "You both have done well. Do not try to use the power within you. Simply rest and focus on stillness. You have both taken your first step into a wider world. Contemplate that. Accept it. Understand it. I will tend to Sakura."

Hinata said, "Need to help her."

Katsuyu said, "You cannot help her as you are. The power in you would destroy her utterly. You must first learn to control it."

"I understand." Hinata's voice had a hollow sound as if she wasn't quite all there.

Tsunade asked, "How long?"

"Fully mastering is different for each. Weeks at best. Years at worst. The danger of petrification never really leaves, though does diminish."

Tsunade asked, "What about Sakura?"

Katsuyu said, "That will take care of itself or it will not. I still believe she will find an easier time reaching an overcoming the sage threshold than the one caused by the foreign chakra that originated with the tailed beast, but it matters little. Hinata-san is already doing her best. Both of you were changed when you reached threshold. Natural energy will always accumulate in your bodies, whether you like it or not, though larger amounts and reaching the point where you may use it effectively will still require active efforts."

Tsunade said, "So Hinata can rest, come back to her new normal and then when Sakura needs it transfer more chakra, and that will help, but not cure her?

Katsuyu said, "I am sorry but I'm not sure there is a true cure for her now other than surviving threshold. She became dependent on Hinata's chakra and has been on it long enough for part of it to become core chakra. She can no longer simply be weaned off it by any means. What is worse is Hinata's chakra will now contain natural energy. Addiction and reliance will occur. It will not be possible for Hinata-san to master sage chakra enough to help Hinata before that happens. Hinata can buy her time. In a week or so she should be responsive again. The true cure must be of her own making. She must take back control of her chakra system and bend it to her will. That is the key. Her only path left is to not only master the foreign chakra but to become a true sage."

Hinata said, "What about when the Kyubi gave me his chakra? He did something so it would be mine. Could I not do the same thing?"

"Kurama is an impossibly old and powerful demon. You are not. Even if you knew how, you would not survive severing enough of your core to make a difference. Even he was only probably able to pull it all off because of the tear in his soul from the shinigami. Remember this. There are no living failed sages. The closest would be your teammate Jiraiya, and it may yet kill him."

Tsunade asked, "Is there nothing you can do to help?"

"Sakura has not proven herself to me yet, though Hinata I now accept."

"My attempt to save Tsunade?" Hinata guessed.

"Yes, but you must not tell Sakura I have accepted you or why. The choice of character is my test. If she passes she does. If she fails my help will remain limited."

Tsunade asked, "Will she be penalized if I force a situation to force the test?"

"No, but if I have any doubts to the results I will ignore them. Now, Hinata-chan, would you have my help?"

Hinata said softly, "Lady Katsuyu I appreciate all that you have done for us and for me in particular, but I think I'm missing something here."

"It is quite simple Hinata-san. To become a full summoner, you must accept a part of me. A part of me will merge permanently with you. When you die I will absorb your body back into myself including a part of your spirit. The rest will journey to the pure world as all others do in their appointed times. That is my price and the reason for my test."

Hinata's eyes widened. "That is how you could help Sakura."

"Yes, if she passes the test I can help her, but I cannot do it for her. A piece is not the whole."

Tsunade said, "It is how I can pass chakra to Katsuyu when she needs it. It also greatly helps her heal me."

Hinata asked Katsuyu, "How do you feel about what we plan? I assume Tsunade has informed you of much of it."

"I am fine with your plans. You would not have gotten the offer had I not been."

Hinata asked, "I won't suddenly change will I?"

"Yes, to an extent you will, though it is unlikely to affect your relationships."

"What about the link Ino creates with Naruto and myself, and sometime others."

"A part of me would be in the link, but it would not easily be distinguishable from your own self. It may make linking with Ino more difficult, though I do not believe so. My own ability to divide and come together should be a significant asset when it comes to your thought processes. Most summoners usually get about a thirty percent boost in intelligence. It is one of the reasons Tsunade is considered the top medic ninja."

"What about my duties? Is there anything besides helping you when needed?"

"In battle, you may have to yield chakra to me, though in certain cases I can also lend my own to you. The distinctions become fuzzy. Should you ever become truly evil then the part of me that is with you will likely cause your death. It is not something I have done in a very long time, but I will have that power."

Hinata asked softly, "What must I do?"

Several of the Katsuyu parts merged into a larger whole. "Simply walk into me and rest. I will do the rest."

Hinata glanced back at Tsunade one last time. Her mentor only smiled and nodded before Hinata walked naked into the giant slug. The slugs flesh easily parted as she was pulled into the heart of it and she knew no more.

\- o -

Tsunade could not but admire the promise of Hinata, while she worried about Sakura's life. Had things been different, Sakura would be the stronger one, though not for some years yet. She wracked her brain for any advantage she could give Sakura. With but a thought she converted the chakra in her hand to medical chakra. The green was now traced with silver now. She focused harder trying to will pure life giving green to the surface. It resisted her. Her control was failing? That was odd.

She focused on the feel of chakra in every point of her body as she used her control to direct it to every part of her body one part at a time. Seeing that worked. She increased the pace by directing two streams simultaneously. What had become for her child's play was resisting her. Suddenly she sensed Katsuyu approaching. Looking up revealed a fragment bigger than the one that absorbed Hinata.

"It is passed time Lady Tsunade. I accepted you as my summoner long ago, but you failed for the longest time to return and complete your training. Will you let me help you now?"

Tsunade sighed. "I have to remove my clothing again don't I?"

"No. I could dissolve and eject it."

Tsunade began removing her clothing and before long she knew no more than Hinata did.

\- o -

Katsuyu looked at the convulsing form of Sakura on the ground. It was past time for more chakra from Hinata, but Hinata was not ready yet. In truth she did not think that Sakura would survive her trial. She had not lied, yet she had not fully explained the risks either.

Perhaps she could arrange her own test. Yes, her fealty to her two summoners made doing that much the least she could do. She enveloped the younger woman and pulled her into the middle of her body. Sakura's clothing was left behind a barely recognizable yet still dissolving pile of rags.

\- o -

Sakura woke from what seemed to be an endless sleep. She could not remember what she had been doing before but she knew her mission. She had been sent out from the capitol without a partner, not because of policy, but because of desperation. A plaque was sweeping the land and she was to go to the deep south to the lonely little border tone of Sandy Lake and investigate why their last courier was late.

She already suspected what she would find, but it did not slow her as she leaped from tree to tree on her way to the town. She moved at a quick pace but each step was measured and used no more energy than what she knew she could recover in sleep. If she faced what she expected her only chance at all was to be at one hundred percent when she entered the town.

It was thought that the plaque had a supernatural origin, that the enemies of Karse had sent it as a first wave to weaken the kingdom prior to a full out invasion. Sakura wasn't sure one way or another, but the way it weakened all who fought it, usually killing them in mere days was terrifying to the young acolyte. Still, she was made of sterner stuff. She was the youngest who had graduated to full healer status; the youngest who could touch and taste the world and bend it to her will.

She would not fail. Her kingdom depended on her duty. Besides, once she succeeded then maybe Tariq would finally accept her attempts at courtship. He was such a goof ball, but she was determined to get him to see her in a better light. Of course his latest comments on her pink hair were going to result in her revenge, but after that he would be hers. As she jumped from tree to tree she realized that life was strange but good. Still she still couldn't believe Celia's wild stories about a land to the far east where men chased women. The very idea of it was absurd.

She opened herself to the joy and wonder of nature, intrinsically balancing the forces of destruction with the forces of creation. The world was a brighter place when filled with the wonder of nature. She smiled as she jumped twice as far with every leap. She did that for close to a minute before she released her tap into the energy of the universe. To think some of the novices could only touch that wonder when they were still. How could they not see it as it truly was?

Sakura pulled her will up around her and released the hold she had taken on nature's energy. Using it too long or when their was no real need was forbidden. Practice was reasonable, as long as it was only that. To revel in its power was to risk its ultimate price, and no one could fail to pay that price when it was asked.

She lost herself to the wind and the trees and before she knew it she was before the town of Sandy Lake. She stilled her energy before pulling a plain brown cloak from her supplies. There were many possible causes for a town to stop responding. Best to keep a low profile until she found out more.

Once she was within a couple hundred feet of the first houses she knew. The plaque was here. The taint touched everything in the area. Could she pull nature's power here without being affected by the taint? Who had done this evil? She could feel no source. It was all over.

Resolutely she folded her cloak and put it away. She was an Acolyte of Karse. Let the townspeople see her greens. She had work to do.

She strode calmly through the middle of the seemingly deserted town. She knew well that it was not. She sought the tallest building near the center. She could feel the people there. Tired, determined, yet resolute. It was not as bad as she feared. Order had not broken down.

Just as she was about to open the door, the door opened and elderly woman with graying hair answered it.

Sakura asked, "Have you followed the protocol?" She could hardly believe she had asked this question, or that they were in such bad shape that she had to do so. The protocol consisted of a checklist to determine who could reasonably be saved and who could not and damn them all for being so weak as to need it; for being so weak that she had to go alone.

"I have."

"Take me where I must go."

"A group of us have volunteered. A few still know the old ways. You must not begin until we do."

Tears formed in Sakura's eyes. She could only nod and mechanically speak the words she had hoped never to say. "The mother thanks you for your service."

She let herself fall back onto her mental discipline. Emotions could not be permitted to control her. She had to maintain her control. She had to stop thinking of the fact that the woman ahead of her and at least several others had just volunteered to die. "My name is Sakura Haruno. May I know your name?" she asked.

"I am Beatrice. Have no fear Sakura Haruno my coven and I will drive back this taint. We will give you the time you need. It is good that you came now. Many were almost to the point of putting their power directly to save those infected."

"I am glad you did not. Your meaningless deaths serve no one. So far only the strongest of the acolytes can drive back this darkness."

"And yet you came alone and are so new to healer's green."

"There was no one else."

"No one. All of the imperial covens were assigned with no reserves left to even guard your back?"

"None. The queen holds the capitol. Her power protects those there, but it is not unlimited. I was asked to take members of the regular guard, but they could not keep up, so I came alone."

"It is just ahead. I can well feel your power young Sakura, but the plaque is also powerful. We will buy you the time you need, but should we fail I have a request for you."

"Name it."

"Flee. Save yourself. Protect our queen."

"But that would mean I'd have to leave..." 

"Yes, but the result would be the same regardless. We will block and expel the taint for as long as life remains in us. Should we pass before you have removed every spec of the taint from the people, then you must take those you have healed and flee. Karse cannot lose another acolyte. If the greater victory is to remain possible then some must survive this day."

"You ask me to violate my oath. If there is sickness, I must do my duty."

The aged woman's features suddenly became sharp as she snapped around to directly face Sakura. "Now listen here. I have had to personally help remove and burn over half of the people who live in Sandy Lake. I have done what is necessary. You will not burn yourself out here."

"But if I do manage to finish, then it will be okay."

"No it will not. You will be dead. Do you know how few like you that are left? I aspired to that power when I was younger and know well how few make it to the end! If we fail you must not let the taint inside yourself. Take the survivors and leave. Once you are clear of the taint destroy it all. I know you have it in you! Free this land of it!"

"That is forbidden!" She absently touched the small green amulet she wore around her neck.

"So is whatever the heck made this! Don't look so surprised. You must have heard the rumors, we'll I am certain they are true."

"It will not come to that. You will see. I will cure them all and stop in plenty of time for you to survive."

"Do not make promises you can't keep girl. I know well your power. Do your job, not just to your order, but to your country."

Sakura felt the breeze that swept through the streets as their warding snapped into being. Within seconds she felt it. The unnatural darkness on nature's energy was gone. She drunk deeply of the power as she did what few others could do. Her hands glowed pure silver and then pure white as she laid them on the first causality. The line would not be crossed. She swore it.

Hour after hour she worked, often helped by an old priest who was surprisingly strong for his age. There was no time to rest, not with that ward burning the lives of the women holding it. Even as she worked she knew it would not be enough. She was maybe half way through but already more than two thirds of her personal power was gone, burned away in all the healing. She could also feel a change in the wards. They would not last long, and with her own power so weak she could no longer pretend to maintain her link with nature. As tired as she was, it would consume her seconds after the taint entered her and unbalanced her.

She finished healing the little girl in front her her before she said softly to those around her, "Forgive me, but the ward allowing me to safely heal has little energy left, and my own strength is also almost gone. All that are healthy must flee now. Go towards the capitol. I will join you."

The old priest asked, "And what of those that remain? Will you bring the silence?"

"Great mother forgive me, but I will for there is no one else. This darkness must be stopped."

"There is nothing to forgive daughter, save for the ones who caused all this and I greatly fear they are beyond all forgiveness."

She nodded numbly even as she picked up the little girl she had healed and slowly carried her out. The mental fatigue of channeling the power at such high levels for so long threatened to overwhelm her. She hoped that she had enough strength left to finish this. She almost passed out as she walked but she continued even as all those healthy slowly began to gather around her as she walked at the van of their party. Someone offered a horse. She could not find the strength or the coordination to get on it. She continued on one step at a time until they were on top of a hill overlooking the town.

She saw Beatrice sitting at the very top. The old woman said, "Hurry Acolyte. We will hold long enough for you to finish this and may the backlash burn the monsters behind this out of existence!"

There was a thought and with it she released the limits imposed on her at the academy. She didn't just let the potential of the world enter her she actively pulled with all that she had. Left alone, In moments she would be stone. In moments further she would be dust, but she did not intend to leave alone.

Saying a mental prayer to the great mother goddess she unleashed it all in purging fire as she intoned formally, "The fires of heaven purify all." Even as she did so she searched with what little bit of her focus remained. Connected with all this power she should be able to find it. There. It was them. Hundreds of miles away it was them. She pulled; tried to strike out at her attackers.

There was nothing left. As she was about to collapse and quite possibly die she thought only of letting those left know the truth, when suddenly Beatrice's arms embraced her. She could feel the old woman funneling all that they were into her and feel their will. She lanced out with all the power she could scrape together. Great mother she had just burned another city to ashes. How could she be forgiven? How could Tariq look at her now?

The last feeling she felt was from Beatrice. She was grateful. How could she be grateful to a monster? She didn't understand, but it didn't matter. Her job was done. She could see the mother in the distance welcoming her home.

"Come Sakura, you have done well. We are most pleased."

"But I used the forbidden."

"Yes, you used it, but not for power, but to end the darkness. That innocent died along with guilty is unfortunate, but more would have died had you not acted."

"Still dead."

"Yes, that is the price young Sakura, but I ask you now, if given the option will you continue to serve?"

"How?"

"You will see soon. Rest for now my child."

\- o -

Sakura woke beyond exhausted as she tried to remember all that happened. She remembered the village. Wait she wasn't an acolyte, but she was. She saw a part of Katsuyu sitting before her. "What has happened?" The others were no where in sight.

"You passed my test."

"I don't understand."

"What you saw was my first true test. It was well before the time of the sage. When I passed it, I was given this form. At first I resented it, but I grew used to it. The great mother placed me to be one of the eternal guards for the world."

"Wait, you fed me a genjutsu of what happened to you and then I guess just watched me? What for?"

"To save you, I would have to give a part of myself to you. That would strengthen you, but weaken me. The only test I can think of suitable for such a decision was the one given me."

Sakura said, "That was you? You could heal that fast? That was incredible, and that fire, and oh. So many people died. That woman at the end? She was real?"

"The elder gods have passed from this place, but yes she was quite real."

"So what now? I feel like I could do all the stuff she did. I could"

Katsuyu commanded, "Stop!"

"Not that easy huh?" Sakura said.

"You have many of the memories now, but not the training. You will complete your training with the others.

"Oh. Can I at least exercise a bit? I feel like I've not moved in months."

"It has been over three."

"What!?"

"The others will wake soon."

\- o -

Hiruzen could hardly believe the youth of today. In a year so much had changed. Tsunade left for her own sage training and returned with all three impossibly strong. It made him wish he was able to complete his own, but he had to remain not dead while the others were so busy.

Naruto, while not a sage yet had perfected something actually more impressive. The seal he had made somehow allowed everyone with a linked seal to coordinate in near impossible ways. From what he could tell Naruto had created thousands of variations on plans and his clones when created could somehow adapt and choose between them on the fly, while somehow making sure not to interfere with each other. Usually they even cooperated. It was well beyond what Enma had wanted. To top it off apparently the nine tails had been so impressed as to offer his chakra with no strings attached. He could hardly believe the demon would willingly help a mortal to such an extent. Sure the amount of chakra used was unlikely to affect the demon, but it was still incredible.

Naruto also still had a year to complete his own sage training, though at a guess Enma wouldn't hold him to that strict deadline with what he already had accomplished.

Ino's return was perhaps the least surprising. He could sense her new strength but it was not yet the strength of the others. That all changed when she was reunited with Hinata and Naruto. Oddly enough Sakura looked wistfully from only a short distance away. All three offered hands to her which she quickly accepted.

Reality seemed to waiver as those four joined hands, even as he saw Jiraiya enter from the distance. He had not stayed to watch all of Ino's training, preferring to maintain the spy network that kept Konoha safe.

He smiled when he saw Tsunade. Hiruzen noted that Tsunade seemed as young as ever, yet it seemed more real somehow. He was surprised when suddenly he felt the pulse of natural energy from her. She could slip into sage mode so easily?

His surprise doubled when Sakura and Hinata also dropped into sage mode. This was flat out getting ridiculous. Ino, as if not to be shown up, was soon spouting golden eyes. Naruto turned bright gold as he let Kurama's power flow through his system.

He said sharply, "Enough!" Their power levels dropped to normal. He said, "Report to my office for debrief. After that I believe I have a mission that you have been waiting for."

As he listened to their report he made plans. He was tempted to include Sakura in their team, but it seemed such a waste, though if Akatsuki did move early, they might be able to pick off Anko's team and that really would be a waste.

The final version of the communication scrolls Naruto developed were now ready. Each cell in the field would be given one. A small office attached to the Hokage's office was set aside to monitor the other half of each pair.

It did not mean they could necessarily send help in time of trouble, but they could at least try, and, equally importantly, they would not be so easily mislead as to the cause of death.

Seeing as they were waiting for him to speak he looked them over once more and said, "The mission that was mentioned to Wave is waiting. I'm fine with letting Sakura be with you guys or with her own team. The reason for this is I'm not certain Sakura won't be targeted. Her team is good, but I do not know if they could take on a pair of Akatsuki members, or more, if the worst happens."

Jiraiya said, "Send her. We can evaluate it again afterwards, but this will give us an idea of what the four can do and won't look too out of the ordinary for fresh genin."

Hiruzen said, "Fine. I suppose even with their skills they need more exposure to real combat, and this is as good of a place to get it as any."

Naruto said, "I think I've figured out how to remove Anko's seal, but I was waiting till everyone got back."

"How long will it take?" Hiruzen asked.

"An evening at least, plus several days to recover."

"Do it when you get back."

Naruto nodded.

"Do you need anything before you go? I already arranged with Anko to have new gear and supplies for you all sealed in scrolls." He handed them a pouch of scrolls. "Anko should be here shor"

He was interrupted by her opening the door. "Good Teams Anko and Kurenai will go on the mission to wave. Kurenai will remain behind as reserve. Someone have her spend a day or two lecturing the better students on Genjutsu. Her team can help. It is pathetic how little fresh genin know about genjutsu they still know." One of his assistants left to carry out the order. He handed Anko the mission scroll. "Get the old drunk and get moving. He is at the nearby hotel."

\- o -

Tazuna was surprised to have his hotel room door lock busted by this petite little pink haired girl. He tried to stand, but he didn't quite have the necessary motor skills currently.

Anko said, "Okay pinky. Fix him. Hinata, see if he has any more booze and dump it."

"Now just wait a second here!" His words were ignored as she absently touched a glowing hand to his head. He instantly passed out only to be moved to the bed as if he weighed nothing at all. Sakura got to work scanning his body. "He has damaged many of his organs with the excess drink. I can repair them, though it will take a little extra time."

"How long?" asked Anko curious.

"About ten minutes."

"Do it. You never know he might need to dodge."

Sakura busied herself fixing the old man as Hinata emptied her fourth bottle of wine. Sakura was almost finished when Hinata asked, "Could you hold him in the air please?"

Shrugging, Sakura did so, even as she continued to let healing chakra flow through his body. She was only a little surprised when Naruto flipped the tap on in the bathtub and Hinata directed a ball of very hot water over Tazuna's legs, clothing and all.

The ball started to spin as Hinata somehow used her control over water like some kind of improvised washing machine. She only got about half way before she decided that water had done its best and directed back to the bathtub before collecting more from the tap.

Anko asked, "Overkill much?"

Ino said, "It is not as if he will remember, and he stunk."

Anko said, "Suit yourself. Hinata, are you going to dry him off?"

"Do you want me to?" she asked.

Anko shrugged and then a thought occurred to her. "You know if little old you were running at a typical genin's pace to wave, the bad guys might be more apt to attack you, particularly if you were carrying smelly here."

Hinata's eyes were suddenly fierce. "I would like that."

Anko joked, "Hey now, I'm the leader here. I get to say who kicks arse around here!"

"But if the big scary Jounin and all of these big scary people come it might be too scary for them scary people."

Anko laughed. "I like it, but we need to at least coordinate. Ino can you maintain your link with Hinata?"

"That will not be a problem, though when we get time I want to try Naruto's new toy. It sounds very helpful."

"Agreed, but I think we can hold off for now. Do your thing. Take the drunk and go we will follow a few miles back."

\- o -

Hinata sighed as she hopped across the deep puddle in the road. Who were they kidding. First, she was a Hyuga. Second she was rather good at genjutsu. Third, she was a master of water.

She sat the bridge builder down even as she woke him with a bit of medical chakra. He woke and looked around, half panicked at how far he had moved without being awake.

"Just settle down. I'm waiting on the stupid ones."

"The water bubbled." said Tazuna unhelpfully.

She said calmly, seemingly to no one, "You are preventing me from catching up with my friends. Please some out ninja-kun." The last was not friendly at all.

She sighed even as she melded air and water into ice, trapping them both in their hole in the ground. She then used chakra to grab the ice as she pulled out the two ninja Popsicles.

Anko and the others quickly caught up. She quickly noted that Hinata had left a path for them to breath, if not easily. "Ino, do your thing and make them forget this encounter."

In less than a minute Ino said, "There are no surprises."

Anko asked, "Are they salvageable?"

"No, they have no moral core. They only work for money."

Anko quickly created a sustained fireball jutsu that not only thawed them out but gave them serious burns. She then summoned a pair of very big snakes and said, "Dinner time."

Tazuna looked like he was about to lose his lunch as he saw the ninja's try to get away from the big snakes only to fail.

"What?" Anko said, "You think those guys don't want fed? They would be quite annoyed if I kept them from free food."

Anko kept looking at him and tapping her foot.

"I'm sorry alright. Yes I lied. Gato is after me. We couldn't afford the better mission!"

Anko smiled. "Just remember, that while you are the client, I do have other snakes that are quite hungry."

Tazuna said, "That is all, I swear. Gato, some mercenaries, and whoever else he hired. I assume it is not just those two."

Anko asked, "And you won't mind continuing to serve as bait, will you?" Her voice was sweet. Her expression was anything but.

"Of course not." His words were rushed and worried.

"Good. Now, guinea pig number two. How about you Ino?"

"I'm game."

Ino picked up the bridge builder and continued to run. An hour later she was interrupted by a thrown sword that she easily jumped over.

"Put the bridge builder down and go. I'd rather not kill you if it wasn't necessary."

Ino blinked. "You are going to kill me? That is so not going to happen."

He swung his sword aiming to cut her in half. She hopped on top of it, and kept on top of it with her chakra even as he kept swinging his sword back and forth.

Poor Tazuna was being ignored in Ino's arms.

Ino said, "It would be best if you just surrendered. We might be able to help you."

"While your chakra control is impressive, I fail to see how you could help me."

"Mei Terumi is about to try to take over Kiri. Your help would be better used there than dying here."

Ino chakra jumped away from the blade and set Tazuna down. He stumbled to his feet.

"Zabuza, you really should go. It is not as if Gato is going to pay you anyway. He didn't the other six ninja he hired."

"What do you know about that?"

"Evidently more than you."

Anko walked calmly onto the scene. She said, "It would really be in your best interest to leave. I do not believe you would survive in battle against my student, and you certainly wouldn't survive against me, or the rest of my team."

Zabuza looked at her warily. "Anko Mitarashi. You are only special Jounin."

Anko smiled and said sweetly, "And all my students are just ordinary boring little genin." Hinata was not there. Then she got more serious. "You will remember that won't you?"

Zabuza said nothing until suddenly a torrent of killing intent came from their entire group, pushing even him back a little. "Genin my arse. No genin has that much control."

Ino smiled. "We have high standards in Konoha."

Zabuza glanced around quickly.

Ino said, "You can forget about your companion. If she moves any closer my companions will subdue her."

Zabuza said, "I know when I'm beat. Just being able to stand on one of the Kiri swords is surprising enough. The fact that you clearly seem to somehow expect me tells me the rest. You know, you all could join me. I suspect you would be of considerable more help than the money I hoped to make."

Anko said, "That is an interesting thought. It is possible we will take you up on it. For now call your friend out."

Hinata and Haku walked out, each talking with each other politely.

"Haku," Zabuza complained.

"I am sorry Zabuza-san, but Hinata-san took me by surprise. I still can't use my chakra, so there seemed little point in fighting."

Anko smiled. She loved this team. "I don't suppose you could tell me where Gato is at so we can wrap this up? You are correct that Kiri might be a better test.. err more important mission."

Zabuza pointed to the southeast. "About three miles. He is using a boat as his base of operations. I don't suppose you could at least grab his gold?"

Anko said, "Hinata, Ino, Naruto. Go find and finish Gato. Collect the gold. Keep half for the mission cost. Return the rest to the inhabitants."

Zabuza said, "I meant to bring me the gold, but I suppose that is too much to ask for."

Anko nodded. "Sakura remain with these two and Tazuna. If you even think they might betray us, kill them with extreme prejudice. I'm going to go take a look around."

Zabuza goggled as everyone but this little kid left. Sakura smiled at them. It was not a comforting smile.

Her smile perked Zabuza's curiousity. He asked, "Care to spar?" not really expecting her to take him up on it. He was even more surprised when she created four earth clones.

"Your not seriously suggestion I spar with clones?"

Sakura shrugged, evidently not caring either way as one of her clones jumped up in the air and shattered the earth. The move also destroyed the clone, but it was enough to make him wary.

Haku said, "I do not believe this is wise Zabuza-san. I sense she has at least Jounin level chakra reserves, and any serious fight might bring the others back."

Sakura created two more clones.

Zabuza swung his sword, intending to cut the close by clones in half only for one clone to duck under her swing and swing a full powered chakra enhanced punch at his sword. A sharp crack filled the air.

He could not believe it. The girl's clone had just made a serious crack in one of Kiri's great swords. He jumped back, eyeing the remaining clones warily. Sure he wasn't going all out, but then neither was she.

He flowed chakra into the sword and watched as it repaired. Good, but if her clones could do that, what could she do? She was smiling. His musings were interrupted as Anko appeared in a swirl of leaves. He nearly didn't detect that. A combat ready shunshin on top of everything else?

Anko said, "We have a go to operate in Kiri. Have you been entertaining my genin?"

"Not well enough it seems."

"Sakura, see if you can fix Hinata's handiwork. I wish to see what Haku can do."

Sakura moved over to where Haku was and said simply, "Lay down please."

Haku complied with only a glance at Zabuza.

Sakura's softly glowing green hands quickly scanned Haku's body. "You are not eating well enough. You must eat more meat, or things high in protein if you want to remain in top shape." She finished her work after another couple minutes.

Haku got up and absently formed an ice senbon in each hand. "My tenketsu appear to be fine. If anything I think my chakra is flowing better than before."

Sakura asked her, "Will you fight me seriously?"

"I will."

Haku jumped back and fired several senbons at Sakura who easily dodged them. Haku then picked up speed and kept firing senbons. Sakura was finding it incredibly difficult to keep up with her. She kept getting stuck with senbon and having to heal little pin pricks.

\- o -

Zabuza said, "It seems my little protege may be the victor here. Speed usually trumps power."

Anko said, "She is fast, that is true, but then Sakura is hardly going all out. Even though she can't quite match Haku's speed she is able to choose where the senbon hit and has even kept up with healing the damage."

Anko said loudly, "No clones and kick it up a notch."

"I would rather not. My base speed will not improve if I do not push it."

Zabuza looked at Sakura's feet. "She's not using chakra to move that fast?"

Anko grinned. "Nope. Sakura here is rather adept at chakra control but I did manage to beat into her that chakra control wasn't the answer to everything."

Haku's motions became a blur. Sakura really began to struggle. It was difficult for her vision to keep up with the surprisingly fast girl.

Sakura let chakra flow throughout her body enhancing her senses and her movement. There, she could almost keep up. That was enough.

Suddenly she was surrounded by Ice Mirrors.

Zabuza said, "Now your student will lose."

"Will she?" A second later Sakura's punch shattered an ice mirror before quickly moving to the next. She did this while dodging most of the senbon and continuing to pull out the others. She could no longer keep up with healing all of them.

Sakura's expression became more determined. She brought her glowing hand down on the Earth shattering it all and breaking Haku's control over her remaining mirrors. She then launched a torrent of flame at the largest group of four. They flashed into vapor.

Haku was panting as she sought to recover from her exertions. Sakura still looked fresh.

Zabuza said dryly, "The pink one wins. There is no point in continuing this and exhausting Haku more. I will need her in Kiri." Zabuza then looked directly at Sakura, "It would, however, do you good to improve your speed. Just because few could match Haku, doesn't mean no one could."

Sakura said, "I will work on it. I have been mastering something else of late."

"Oh, care to fill us in?" asked Zabuza.

"No."

Zabuza said, "You know, I grow to like you guys. I rather suspect that those dogs in kiri will not know what hit them, particularly if we can meet up with Mei."

"The Hokage will want certain concessions for our assistance. They are nothing particularly egregious, but they are not optional."

"Like what?" he asked warily.

"First, once Mei is in control she will sign a mutual defense treaty. Should either of us be attacked without provocation, the other will defend. Second, well there are certain individuals we will need to protect in the future. I can't say more now."

"You do know that right now Kiri couldn't even defend itself if it was attacked?"

"The Hokage is planning for the future, not today. He recognizes Kiri's value."

"What happened to the demon brothers?"

"I killed them. They were just mercenaries. They had no loyalty to anyone."

"They were useful."

"Perhaps, but as a rule, I tend to kill people who lack any kind of morals. Besides, my pets were hungry."

"You are an interesting woman."

Anko said, "It is a pity I can't say the same. Seriously, being beaten by a genin? Some demon."

He growled. "Those were not genin. Oh they may be genin on paper, but that's it. I'm still trying to figure out why you are here. Stopping me would not require an elite unit. You and one other Jounin could have done it."

Anko said, "You haven't seriously fought yet."

"Neither did either of my opponents. I've been around long enough to know when someone is holding back. That Ino emitted almost no chakra, even while she was stuck to my sword. There is a level of control far beyond a genin. Her eyes also were not a genin's eyes. She is Jounin easily. I don't understand it, but it is true."

Anko looked over at Tazuna. "I can sense the others. They will be back soon. You will be on your own when we leave. The others should remove Zabuza and his people. They are young, but I have little doubt they will get the job done."

Tazuna said, "By remove you mean."

"Dead. All of them."

Zabuza grinned at the bridge builder's uncomfortable expression. "You should be grateful that you lucked into a good team. I'm quite sure you could not afford them."

Anko said seductively, "He couldn't even afford my talents, let alone this team. To think he actually paid for a low grade C rank mission. If our intelligence hadn't flagged it, then he could have gotten our people killed. He should be very grateful that we are so forgiving. Had our ninja died, we might not be so nice."

"It would not have mattered, I'd still be dead," said Tazuna dryly.

Anko nodded. "That was actually a point to your favor. You were willing to put your own life on the line. Still, never lie to us again. I don't care about what. You will die. Understand?"

Tazuna nodded his head fervently.

Just as Tazuna finished nodding the others appeared in water and wind.

Zabuza muttered, "Add three more nearly unnoticeable long distance elemental shunshin. Genin my arse."

Tazuna said, "I saw them fine."

Haku said, "Because they wanted you to. There was almost no chakra leakage. Most of it was from the boy, but I suppose with his chakra signature, even reducing it that much is a notable achievement."

Tazuna asked, "What do you mean?"

"The boy has Kage level chakra reserves. I do not understand it but it is true. The young women on his team are possibly Kage level as well, though still considerably less. They are harder to read. Even Sakura's are at least Jounin level."

Anko said, "So we have a budding little sensor here?"

"I'm not that good."

"Train. You will get better." Turning to the others she focused on Ino, "Report."

"All mission objectives complete. No casualties. We found a group of town people taken as slaves. Most of them were very young women. I helped those that let me."

"Explain," ordered Anko.

"Four were pregnant with children that they could not but hate. All of them were young. Several had been abused and treated poorly. The fetuses were not forming correctly. Carrying the child to term might have been fatal. I muted their memories of their abduction and treatment and as quickly and simply as I could terminated their pregnancies. Hinata assisted me. Naruto remained outside during that part. He wanted to help, but a male would not have been helpful then."

"How many in total?" asked Anko softly.

"There were seventeen in the group. Thankfully we got to most of them before they had been used. I just wish we had made Gato suffer."

"You know better," Anko said professionally.

"I know."

"Is there anything else?"

"I did force Gato to turn over his empire to Konoha before I gutted him. Much of it is going to need work to unravel. We did what we could. There is a lot of potential money to be made there, but if this operation was any example, there is also a lot to clean up."

Anko said, "Good. I will speak to the Hokage. We may hand this task to Mei after we finish. She can take the good and kill the bad. Gato was based more in her territory than any other right?"

Ino nodded. She said, "We did also take the time to implement the one additional plan we were waiting on."

Anko said, without batting an eye, "Good. Are there any concerns with leaving Tazuna on his own?"

Ino shrugged. "Gato's men are dead. The power vacuum is a concern. Perhaps another team could be sent in our place?"

"One is already coming. They will be here in a couple hours."

Zabuza looked at Anko in surprise. She shrugged and lied, "Snakes hate to be used as messengers, but I had just given them such a good meal they didn't mind it."

\- o -

A team consisting of Kurenai, Kakashi, Asuma, Gai, and all of their genin arrived.

Kakashi was the leader of the group. He said, "The Hokage has decided to end the Kiri problem while it can be done reasonably. This is, however, not a mission for fresh genin. Of the genin here, I have permission for the group that is already here to continue on, along with Gai's team. If one of you believes that you are better suited for the task, you may challenge one of those genin to a match, or otherwise prove to me that you should go."

Sasuke quickly looked at the assembled genin before saying, "I challenge TenTen of team Gai for permission to go."

Kakashi looked at TenTen who shrugged. She, like everyone else had been training incredibly hard. He said, "Fine, we will hold the match shortly. There will be no moves that could potentially maim or kill."

Shikamaru said, "I'm not going to challenge anybody, but as my friends lives are on the line, I will point out that if my skills at strategy are of use then I will offer them."

Kakashi said, "They very well might be. Fine. You are accepted. Anyone else?"

Shino said, "My skills may be of some use for intelligence gathering."

"Agreed, you are also approved."

Kiba started to raise his hand but Kakashi shot him down, "I can track well enough with my nin dogs, and we already have two Hyuuga."

Kiba nodded.

\- o -

Tenten knew that fighting Sasuke would be difficult. He would not be overwhelmed with a variety of weapons. Because of that she simply unsealed her favorite sword and took her stance.

Sasuke was quick. She let chakra flow on her sword as he managed to counter her with a pair of Kunai. She increased the flow, cutting through the first blade before Sasuke jumped back and launched a fireball at her. She dove to the side, easily dodging the jutsu only to rush back in and slice towards Sasuke.

He easily moved out of the way. A closer look revealed he had his sharingan eyes active and they each had two pips. This was going to be difficult. She tapped seals on her wrists and legs, instantly causes her weights to fall off. Her speed picked up as she moved around her opponent.

His speed also picked up. Whoever was training him, they had to be almost as bad as Gai. He threw several Kunai at her, but she only had to dodge one. There was something suspicious there. Suddenly an arc of lightning lashed between his hand and a fine wire that was attached to one of the Kunai that missed. She was caught by the edge of tendrils it shot out.

Gai said, "First significant hit is Sasuke. He wins."

Kakashi said, "Tenten did fine. Both may come. I do have a question for Sasuke though. Why Tenten?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I did a little digging. There was very little to find out about the others, which with everything else appeared to imply that something was being deliberately hidden. I doubt anyone would hide that a new genin was average or poor. That just left Team Gai. I watched their training once. Tenten was my best bet."

"Good. That was well reasoned. Never forget that your mind is your most important weapon."

Hinata slipped quietly towards Tenten. Sakura started to do the same, and even Ino moved partly that way, but both stopped seeing Hinata. A few minutes later and Tenten was fully recovered.

Kurenai said, "I'll remain here with Chouji and Kiba. We don't expect any trouble. I should be able to get some training in."

Kakashi said, "Agreed. Okay, I want Team Gai in the front and Team Anko in the rear. The Hyuga are to scan periodically for threats. Work out a system to conserve chakra. Everyone else in the middle with me. Gai do set a reasonable pace. Remember, we don't want anyone unable to fight. We leave in in an hour."

"I will of course do my best," the green clad Jounin stated.

Hinata walked quickly over to Neji who met her half way. She said, "Ten minutes each alternating?"

"That is fine. I will go first."

Hinata said, "You look well."

"And you look stronger. How is that Hinata-hime?"

"When there is time we should talk Neji-nisan."

"And what would I have to talk to you about Hinata-sama?"

"The future and who will lead."

"Surely it will be you Hinata-sama," he said scornfully.

"We can remove your seal, but you can only lead if you chose to do so."

"Do not joke," he said angrily.

"I am not joking, but I do have other tasks I must do."

"Fine," he exclaimed not really believing.

\- o -

Kurenai quietly approached Naruto, Ino, and Hinata. She said softly, "I heard Anko's report. Is everyone really okay? I know Ino must have some experience, but..."

Naruto said, "Ino helped us."

Hinata nodded her silent agreement.

"Just so you know, I am here as well. Just remember, we must never become what we fight."

Hinata surprised her when she pulled her into a hug, that the others quickly joined in on. A solitary tear wandered down Kurenai's right eye that she absently wiped away.

Kurenai said, "Be well, and watch over Anko and that lug Asuma for me will you?"

Ino said softly yet resolutely, "We will."

\- o -

Sakura stepped before Kiba and Shino. "Hey guys?"

Kiba said, "You smell of the forest and is that slugs?"

Sakura smiled. "I'm fine."

Shino said, "And yet, you have changed again. My insects are caught between fear and worship of you. It confuses me."

"I am sorry Shino."

"For what?" he asked confused.

She held out her hands to Shino and Kiba. They hesitantly took them in her own. She briefly dipped into her connection with the universe. It was barely a flash, and only noticed by those nearby, the other sages, and Kakashi.

She said softly, "There should be no secrets between friends. I had not expected this path, particularly not so soon, but it is where I am now."

Shino said, "Something is coming, is it not?"

Sakura nodded a small nod.

Kiba said, "We will be ready."

Her voice became lower, "I know. I will look for things to help you, but for you two, I think there may be another way."

Shino's eyebrow raised and Kiba looked more curious.

"Both of you represent proud ninja traditions, where any member of your families would die for another. Naruto or another may be able to help you create a clan summoning contract. If you want, I will speak with him. We have discussed something similar for us, though no solid plan exists yet. The Hokage, Tsunade, or Jiraiya may also be able to help."

Kiba said, "I think mom would want that."

Shino said, "It may also be time to discuss a stronger relationship between the clans, though I foresee problems with the Hyuga clan."

Sakura said darkly, "Hinata will deal with her clan and probably soon."

Both Kiba and Shino's eyes goggled.

"There is one thing more. Naruto has invented something that may be of use. We shall likely test it in this campaign. I thought perhaps you might want to try it as well."

Just as she finished speaking Naruto appeared in a barely noticed swirl of wind. He looked at Sakura and scratched the back of his head accidentally. "Are your sure Sakura? I've only really tested this with me and my clones, and Ino won't be there to help."

"Couldn't Ino leave how to use it with Kurenai? The temporary versions should work for this, at least to get started."

The woman in question appeared with Ino at her side. "You needed me?" the red eyed woman asked in curiosity.

Naruto shuffled in his pace till he found a scroll in the bottom. Out of it he unsealed three smaller scrolls and handed them to Kurenai, who accepted them without any obvious signs of recognition.

Ino turned to look directly at Kurenai. She asked, "Will you allow me to transfer a bit of knowledge to you?"

"I'm not a Yamanaka."

"And yet your mind is nearly as disciplined. Sakura or I should be able to mitigate any damage."

Kurenai asked, "Is it this important?"

Ino said, "It may help in the battles to come."

"Okay." This was said without any enthusiasm.

A burst of violet light emerged from Ino and entered Kurenai, even as Naruto and Sakura each took hold of their friend's body while Hinata took hold of Kurenai's.

\- o -

Ino emerged into a frigid mountainous landscape covered in endless snow and pine trees. Flocks of birds were flying all around and wolves prowled the area. Kurenai's own mental avatar quickly joined her.

Ino said, "Your mindscape is far better than most."

"Why are you here? Just what was so important as to risk delaying your mission?"

"Naruto invented a very complex seal that, at least with him and his clones greatly improves battle coordination. The copies he gave you are temporary and less complex. Activate them by placing them ink side forward to your back and applying chakra. They will last for around a month."

"I know. The Hokage discussed testing it with me, but there was not remotely enough time to get a testing program in place."

"Will you accept a copy of my knowledge of the seal? I swear on my clan's honor that it will contain nothing but that, but without the basics, these are pretty much useless."

"No, I want to know the rest of what is going on!"

"I am uncertain if I can do that without harming you. Jiraiya took almost a week to recover."

"I will take the chance."

"I may be able to reduce the risk with sage mode, but it is not without risks in itself, with my spirit inside you. Sakura and Hinata are ready to help, if need be."

"I find it difficult to believe that you are a sage."

Ino embraced the universe. The revised training that she had copied from Sakura's mind aiding her greatly as her spirit quickly became a blinding silver.

Kurenai had to shade her eyes from the light. It was beginning to melt all the snow. "Do it."

A ball of purest silver composed of countless silver threads began to form in front of her, even as the snow continued to melt and the temperature warm.

Ino said softly, "It will be easier if you accept it as I form it."

Kurenai walked forward and took the ball of memories in her hand and she knew no more.

\- o -

Outside Sakura quickly pushed Ino gently towards Naruto until he had her fully. Hinata had already lowered Kurenai to the ground and activated her eyes.

She said softly, "She is transferring far more than just the seal info. It is causing brain damage. I will handle deep, you will handle shallow."

Sakura agreed even as her own right hand glowed a brilliant green to match the green around Hinata's own right hand.

Kiba said quietly, "Don't they ever do anything the normal way?"

Shino said dryly, "It would seem not."

A short distance away Shikamaru, Sasuke, and Neji looked on in curiosity. The later two had their Dojutsu activated.

Neji said in surprise, "What is this light around Ino and Kurenai?"

"The Sharingan cannot read it though I can tell that Sakura and Hinata are performing some kind of medical jutsu on her brain."

"The energy is brightest in her brain. The healing chakra is interacting with it."

Sasuke asked, "Could this be the secret of their power?"

Shikamaru said, "It is troublesome is what it is. Do you know what is common among most who seek power beyond the average Jounin?"

Neji said, "Enlighten us Nara."

"They end up dead. Think about what they are doing. You have not one but two medical ninjas repairing her mind while a third apparently damages it for some reason. If I had to guess, I'd say Ino was transferring a crap load of knowledge to Kurenai, or perhaps copying some from her." He shrugged. "Either is possible really. It is all very troublesome."

Neji said, "Naruto is also feeding medical chakra into Ino's body. It is almost unnoticeable. There is so little of it."

Sasuke looked that way, "I think it is just affecting her muscles. Seems to be something minor, perhaps to keep her from stiffening up."

They were surprised when both Sakura and Hinata's eyes shifted to burnished gold and their healing chakra took on a tinge of silver.

As time passed Sasuke and Neji were forced to deactivate their eyes for ever longer periods. They all continued to watch, even as the rest of them joined in. Zabuza and Haku seemed particularly interested.

After nearly an hour Neji said, "All three have burned through far more whatever that is than any ten genin should have. It should not have been possible for Hinata-sama to even keep her eyes activated this long. My eyes cannot see deeply into her own when they are like this, but I cannot see any damage in them, or even any eye strain."

Suddenly, whatever was happening seemed to finish as Hinata and Sakura got up, before pulling Kurenai up as well. Naruto was still gently holding onto Ino's body. He had barely moved the entire time, though his focus had not once slipped on his surroundings.

Kurenai's eyes opened. They were a dim golden for a few seconds before turning back to her normal colors. Ino's eyes also opened. She turned in Naruto's arms and said mischievously, "Thanks. You really know how to handle a woman," before slipping out of his arms.

Naruto blushed. "Stop saying such things."

Hinata slipped over in front of Naruto, and then when he didn't get the hint moved backwards. He quickly put his arms around her shoulders.

Ino turned to Kurenai who was even now continuing to blink as her mind continued to assimilate what she had been given.

Kakashi said dryly, "Is everything alright here? We were supposed to be going some time ago."

Hinata said, "Kurenai is fine."

Ino said, "She really is." She turned to Hinata and Sakura, "You two were amazing. I couldn't have done it without you."

Kurenai fought for focus. "I am fine." It came out a little woodenly.

Anko looked closer at her, then back at Ino.

Kurenai said with a warmer voice, "I really am fine. I just need to think for a bit." Under her breath she added coldly, "And figure out how to kill an immortal nut case." Despite her attempt to keep that last bit to herself everybody heard it.

Kakashi said, "Good. Now does anyone require rest?" He looked directly first at Ino, then Hinata, then Sakura.

Naruto created two seal-less shadow clones that quickly picked up Ino and Sakura. Hinata he picked up himself. He said, "I've got this."

"Fine Neji, Sasuke, are you up to it? You used your dojutsu quite a lot just now."

Neji said, "I am."

Sasuke said, "As am I."

Naruto said, "I can also advance scout. I don't have any special senses, beyond better than average smell and good eyesight, but I could send out a hundred or more clones to scout the way."

"Without exhausting yourself?"

Naruto said, "Yes."

"Do it."

Naruto used the traditional hand sign, but instead of Naruto clones a hundred eagles appeared and took to the sky.

They all looked at Naruto in surprise. "What? Just because the jutsu normally copies oneself, doesn't mean you can't base it on the memory of a henge."

Kurenai said, "Henges are illusionary."

"Mine are real."

Tenten asked, "Could you make one large enough to fly on?"

"Probably, but what if it was hit? It only takes one hit and it hurts really badly to fall from high up."

Tenten's eye twitched. "It hurts," she said deadpan.

Naruto nodded absently, not noticing her sarcasm.

Kakashi said, "Let's move."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Hinata was glad to just be able to focus on recovering chakra as she was held in Naruto's arms. She was also glad that the original held her, though she was unsure if it was because she was closest or not. Even with Ino's link active they had their own private thoughts. It was necessary for their sanity.

In her thoughts she heard Ino ask, "What do you think about the Kyubi agreeing to help Naruto? Do you trust him?"

"No. Not fully."

"Agreed. He may not be an enemy, and I do think Naruto really befriended him in the future, but they have not had the same experiences. We must remain vigilant."

"What did you all give Kurenai? It seemed like a lot."

"She was demanding, particularly once she learned of Asuma's death in the future. I gave her almost everything, including much of my training. It was only possible because you two were healing as I went and despite my best efforts, my memories will not perfectly slot in place. She must make them her own to really use things like the training. That will take a lot of practice, but I did all I could. I just worry she will try to go after Asuma's killer before she is ready, or without backup."

"Not if we kill him first," Hinata sent back fiercely.

"Can you prevent him from getting any of our blood?"

Hinata said mentally, "Controlling my own blood is easy enough. It is my chakra and water. You should be able to do the same with some effort. I could also just wash it away."

"Remember, if we want to kill him the easiest is to make him use his own blood in that ritual. It is what Shika did. I'll also settle for burning him until not even dust remains, or maybe infusing him with so much sage chakra he becomes stone and the shattering him. Really I'm not picky. Whatever kills him with the least risk."

Hinata agreed.

\- o -

As they were running Naruto moved up to the side of Kakashi and whispered, "Itachi Uchiha and Kisame Hoshigaki are near our path. We can probably avoid them, though I believe Itachi saw my shadow clones."

"Great," Kakashi whispered deadpan. "How long until we get near?"

"Ten minutes at this rate."

Kakashi slipped forward to next to Sasuke. He said softly, "He is here."

Sasuke's eyes were suddenly much sharper as his Sharingan flared to life.

"Just a short ways away, with Kisame Hoshigaki. I am inclined to avoid them."

"Why?" asked Sasuke.

"If we fight and kill the other, then they are warned of us."

"They will be that anyway, once we fight in Kiri," Sasuke said.

"A valid point. What would you have us do?"

"Face them. I want answers."

Kakashi called a halt to everyone, "Uchiha Itachi and Kisame Hoshigaki are ahead."

Zabuza said, "So Konoha's most dangerous missing nin and that bozo. It has been awhile."

Kakashi asked, "Do you think there is any chance he might be convinced to join us? If not, we will have to kill him."

Zabuza shrugged. Haku looked on worried.

\- o -

A shadow clone of Kakashi was the first to approach Itachi and Kisame where they had camped. Kisame started for his sword.

"No need. It is just a clone." Itachi turned to Kakashi's clone. "Tell me Kakashi-senpai, why are you here? Do you intend to collect our bounty. I think you will find that quite difficult."

"I came to ask Kisame a question."

The ex Kiri swordsman quirked an eyebrow and demanded, "What?"

"Would you join Zabuza in freeing your country?"

"From Yagura? We are already going to do that."

Itachi touched him on the shoulder, clearly reminding him to be silent.

Kakashi's clone asked, "Was Yagura always like this?"

"No," Kisame said quietly. "Now, are you done? We do have a mission to begin shortly."

"Have you ever wondered why a person could change like that? The only thing I can think of with such power is an incredibly powerful Genjutsu."

Itachi's eyes widened in realization. He said, "Even if your guess is correct, what business is it of the leaf's what we do in Kiri?"

Kakashi said quietly, "My team and I intend to kill any who refuse to join us."

"Do you now?" Kisame said sarcastically.

Itachi asked, "And do you believe you can win that battle Kakashi-sempai?"

"Yes."

Itachi said quietly, "We should be wary."

Kisame looked at him. "Your serious?"

The real Kakashi walked into the clearing. His clone vanished.

Itachi activated his Sharingan and looked around. "We are surrounded. Three of them are sages. The fourth's legacy is also there as well as Maito Gai, Asuma Sarutobi, Anko Mitarashi, several genin, and my younger brother."

Kakashi said, "Your mission is complete Itachi."

Itachi said, "I owe Kisame a debt that I must try to repay."

"This doesn't have to end in bloodshed. We simply want Kisame not to be our enemy. If he rejoins Kiri with Mei Terumi and Zabuza, that will be enough."

Kisame asked, "What makes you think you could trust me to keep my word?"

"Zabuza said your word was good, and we have other intelligence that indicates that it is good."

"Even if I wanted to give Kiri a shot, my current organization is not exactly known for its retirement program."

"We know. As long as Mei agrees, you may take any reasonable actions to protect yourself. If Itachi wishes, you could even remain his partner. We are flexible. Of course, it might be difficult for either of you to openly be Konoha Ninja, but we can work something out, particularly with respect to Itachi."

Kisame said, "I'm disinclined to simply give up without a fight."

Hinata walked forward, her eyes golden. "Then fight me." She activated her Byakugan. For a moment her focus remained on Itachi, before it returned to Kisame.

"You, little girl?" His sword twitched on his back. "Well, your chakra seems quite tasty at least."

"Be wary Kisame. I do not understand it, but she is a sage."

"And what would a little girl like you want to fight the monster of the mist for?"

"Your sword is attuned well to water. I want to see if I can become its master."

Kisame laughed. "You're on."

Kakashi said, "I shouldn't allow this, but everyone move back for now."

Ino's eyes glowed golden even as Naruto moved slowly to the other side of the clearing, his eyes never once leaving Kisame.

Sasuke moved closer to Itachi, but at a glance from Kakashi, remained back. He mouthed to Itachi, "I know."

Itachi gave him a single nod, seemingly unsurprised.

\- o -

Kisame summoned a lake worth of water that covered the valley.

Hinata simply stepped on the top of it, not phased by the change. She said softly, "Thank you."

Kisame was surprised when six whips of water lashed out, two of which successfully battered Kisame before he could absorb the chakra with Samehada.

"A tree hugger with some skill with water. Interesting."

Samehada burped.

Confused, Sakura said, "Your chakra is yours. Do not let it be absorbed. You know this."

"Of course."

A single additional whip of water shot out, froze, and lanced into Samehada, punching through it.

Kisame yanked his sword away and jumped back. "Impossible."

"No, there was no chakra in that attack when it met your sword."

Kisame formed several sharks of water and sent them at her. She turned to them one at a time, ripping them from his control and forcing them back at Kisame, who managed to again rip control of them from her when they were almost upon him.

Four water clones formed around him in Hinata's shape. He managed to destroy two of them with Samehada, but not before two of the others managed to disable several of his tenketsu.

"This is ridiculous," complained the nuke nin, even as he pulled on Samehada to heal his injury. "We are getting nowhere."

"It is vexing," she agreed. "Even with my control it is dangerous to fight you too closely, and while I might be able to beat you going all out, it is also likely that there is a limit to how much sage chakra Samehada can absorb. I would prefer not to kill that weapon."

"How do you think you could even wield Samehada?" he asked curious.

"It is a Kiri living weapon. It can adapt."

\- o -

Nearby Itachi said quietly, "It is a stalemate."

"No," Kakashi said, "It has not begun yet."

Suddenly Hinata formed dozens of shadow clones, save these clearly used water as indicated by the brief absence of water below them. Kisame himself created dozens of water clones. And then it was chaos.

"Remarkable," Itachi said. "How does she coordinate them all?"

Kakashi didn't replly.

Her clones were going toe to toe with his clones and slaughtering them by a wide variety of tactics, from simple Jyuken, to slicing wind attacks, where a miss by one becomes a hit to another, to spears of water that acted much the same. In seconds it was just Hinata with most of her clones remaining and Kisame.

She said, "Copying me with clones is not very useful. Samehada cannot be copied. If you keep it up, even you will run out of chakra."

Kisame laughed. "I like you. Are you sure you don't want to be my apprentice?"

"No, I already have a master."

"Who?" he asked curiously.

"Tsunade of the sannin."

He laughed again. "All right. I agree not to start a fight with you guys. I may even help kick Yagura's but, but you do know there is a lot more to Akatsuki than just us. The others are far more determined."

Kakashi said, "We know. Come on. Let's get going. Itachi and you can lead."

Sasuke caught up to just beside his brother. "You have much to answer for."

"I know. I heard that Danzo is dead."

"He is. He was behind the decision. The Hokage admitted to planning to kill the leaders, but he didn't plan what Danzo ordered. Why did you obey his order?"

"I do not know."

"What do you mean you do not know?"

"I suspect I was controlled somehow. I talked with the Hokage previously that day. I even agreed to help do what was necessary, but I never agreed on women and children."

"Damn, so we have another enemy, unless it is Danzo."

"Yes. There is another Uchiha in my organization. I suspect he is involved somehow."

"Who is he?"

"He claims to be Madara, but he is too young, and does not act like the records say."

"Damn."

"You were meant to redeem us Sasuke. That cannot occur if people learn the truth."

"Fuck them. I may never forgive you for what you have done, even if you really were controlled, but the people behind it are going to die."

"Agreed, if what Kakashi says is true, then it seems that Yagura may somehow have been controlled by the same Uchiha, possibly the one in Akatsuki. I will attempt to rip the truth from his mind."

Sasuke said, "The Yamanaka may be able to help. I've heard things and seen things. She is very strong."

Itachi looked at him curiously. "That seems unlikely."

"As unlikely as what just happened?"

"The power of a sage is impressive. You should obtain our summoning contract. It is a difficult path, but perhaps you can survive it, that is, if they will accept you."

\- o -

Mei was surprised when their party was lead into their camp. Her eyes goggled when she saw Zabuza, and they went really wide when they saw Kisame. "Ao, is this an illusion?" she asked.

Ao appeared to blink several times with his visible eye before he said, "I do not believe so."

"So they are all real, including Itachi, Kisame, and Zabuza?"

"Yes."

Mei said, "What the hell is this?"

Zabuza said, "It is good to see you too Mei."

"Explain," she said flatly.

Kakashi walked in, hands in his pockets. "Yo!"

Naruto, Ino, and Hinata walked in next. Hinata immediately focused on Ao, even as Ino and Naruto quickly each put a hand on her shoulders.

Hinata actived her Byakugan, pointed at Ao, and exclaimed, "Return what you have taken!" Neji was not far away, and he too activated his eyes and glared.

Kakashi said dryly, "We'll there went that introduction."

Ino said, "The one next to Mei has an implanted Byakugan."

Kakashi sighed.

Ao said without remorse, "I took it from a Hyuga in the last shinobi war. I assure you he no longer needed it."

Hinata said, "I challenge you."

Neji said, "Allow me."

Kakashi said, "I understand that this is an issue concerning the Hyuga clan. I request that you defer this until after we remove Yagura from power."

Mei said archly, "What makes you think I will permit this little drama even then?"

Kakashi said, "We'll with our help you should have no problem removing Yagura from power, but I'm less than certain I could stop Hinata-san and her friends from killing you, if you got in her way. She is the daughter of the clan head and she takes those responsibilities quite seriously. Also, as the eye you obtained is from a dojutsu clan of Konoha, I have a certain duty to see it destroyed or returned."

Kakashi sighed. "Or we could just start the killing now. Our mission would fail, but I think we could eliminate Yagura on our way out."

Kisame nudged Itachi and whisphered, "I like these guys. Were they this fun before you left?"

"Not as such, no."

Hinata, Sakura, and Ino's eyes glowed golden. Naruto's chakra levels started to spike. Killer intent started to saturate the area. Kisame smiled a vicious smile.

Around them, Mei's guardians readied their weapons. Violence looked about to commence when Mei said softly, "Hold." The feeling of impending violence reduced, but only a fraction. She turned to Ao.

Ao said, "Fine, if the loss of this eye is the price to pay to fix Kiri, then I will pay it. I request to pay it after Yagura is finished and the war is over. There is bound to be someone in the battle that can donate a regular eye. For that matter, I could die in the fight and make it all a moot point."

Kakashi said, "I believe we have the makings of a deal."

Several sighs of relief were heard before Mei broke in. "Now, I believe we need to talk. I will of course want an agreement before we begin. Kakashi-kun, I assume you are the leader. Why don't you come with me and have a drink."

Kakashi smiled and went off with the pretty rebel leader.

Anko snarked, "We will be lucky if he doesn't give away Konoha the pervert."

Asuma said, "Pervert he is, but he never lets it get in the way of his job. Besides, there would be worse things that Kakashi having a relationship with a potential future Kage."

Ao said sadly, "Maybe it would hurt less if you ripped my eye out now."

Hinata said sweetly, "I can arrange that."

Not far away Neji shivered. Tenten whispered to him, "I thought you said she was meek and cowardly."

"She was."

"Not any more."

Shikamaru said, "We'll as plans go, we could just send out shadow clones of whoever has a kekkei genkai and let them chase them all back here. For that matter, Naruto could probably henge his into various forms. Taunt them a bit. Make them stupid. We could kill them as they chased shadows. Someone is going to have to deal with Yagura though, and that is not going to be fun."

Itachi said, "I will face Yagura. If he is under the influence of the Sharingan, I may be able to free him. He has answers that I wish to obtain."

Naruto, Ino, and Hinata all took a step forward. Naruto said, "Your not going alone. Even with your sharingan, fighting an jinchuriki is dangerous, let alone one your trying not to kill."

Itachi said, "Aren't you still awfully young?"

Ino said, "Aren't you an odd one to say someone is young?"

Itachi nodded her point.

Sasuke said, "I want to be there."

Itachi asked, "Can you beat one of those three?"

"Probably not."

"Then you are not going to be in on this fight. You would simply be a distraction. Live. Grow stronger. Restore our clan."

Hinata said quietly yet clearly, "Itachi Uchiha, did you know you are dying?"

Itachi glared at her. "That is none of your business."

"We could perhaps help. I know those eyes of yours put a tremendous pressure on your body. What was the last time you saw a competent medic-nin?"

Kisame said, "Our organization has a lack of such a skill, though we do know a few. I seriously doubt you can help him. Other's failed."

Sakura said, "Others were not trained by Tsunade."

Sasuke said, "I don't know the details, but I saw Hinata and Sakura heal some kind of mental damage in another ninja. The Jounin there certainly trusted them to do it."

"Very well," Itachi said, "Hinata-san. Sakura-san. You may try."

Hinata directed him to lay down while Sakura moved opposite her. Ino simply stayed closed by and helped coordinate things. There was no need to add her or Naruto directly, though she could help interpret and meld Hinata and Sakura's vision and help with figuring out what is wrong.

Itachi watched them carefully when they worked.

After inspecting him with her eyes, as well as both of their mystic palm jutsu's Hinata said, "This is complex. We can heal the damage, but the interaction between your eyes and the rest of your body is troubling. From what I can tell it is increasing over time. There must be something you do with your eyes that is aggravating this."

Sakura said, "I agree with Hinata. We can heal the damage, but we would prefer to have you see our master before we try anything more extreme."

Ino sent mentally, "Swapping his eyes with Sasuke's might help, but we aren't supposed to know that. I assume neither of you are going to suggest summoning Tsunade here via reverse summoning?"

Sakura sent, "Why? He may be technically loyal, and we may be working with him, but he still killed his clan. I'm not willing to go that far for him."

Hinata sent, "Nor am I. I can see some of how the problem is occurring and guess at a likely solution, but pleading ignorance is enough for now."

Ino sent, "Agreed."

Itachi said, "Fine. Please heal what you can. I will consult with Tsunade-san when next I am able."

Hinata and Sakura worked like a well practiced team as they healed every part of his body they could find with an imperfection, including repairing all of the vascular damage to his eyes and the surrounding inflammation.

They then got up without another word and went to rejoin the others, with Ino following.

Sasuke approached his brother. "Did it work?"

Itachi blinked and then activated his regular Sharingan briefly before deactivating it. "Their work was without fault. They show surprising skill for their age, and equally surprising coordination."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked.

"Medic ninja seldom work together. It requires considerable practice not to interfere with each other, yet I know neither repeated a scan or attempted a repair the other completed. It doesn't matter. I can fight now without impairment. That is all that matters."

\- o -

Kakashi returned from his meeting. He said, "Itachi, Naruto, Hinata, and Ino will be with me. We will stay in reserve until Yagura is found. Asuma you are in overall command of the others and will coordinate with Mei and her forces directly. Sasuke, Shikamaru, Shino, and Sakura will be under your direct command with Gai and his team. I suggest you spend some time discussing tactics. It is beyond rare to have more than one medic ninja join a fight. Sakura, I am declaring you the primary. Since you have somehow managed to become a sage I won't ask you not to fight, but you are to do your best to avoid injury, even if it means letting some live. Your team mates are also to insure your safety, so make sure they know when your really in danger. Got it? An uninjured medic ninja with the chakra to make the difference has often meant the different between everyone surviving and no one." 

"I understand. Tsunade-sama stressed that often." Sakura turned to Hinata and asked, "Do you expect to require Lady Katsuyu?"

Hinata said, "It is unlikely. I can rely on Naruto and Ino's summons if it comes to that, though if you get into trouble you may call on us, and worst case you may summon me."

"I know."

Kakashi said, "Now, I'd like to talk with Ino and Team Gai about our little plan to catch their attention."

Kakashi vanished in a swirl of leaves. Team Gai vanished in more leaves while Ino vanished in a swirl of water.

\- o -

They reappeared a few thousand feet away in a clearing. Kakashi waited a few moments for everyone to regain their bearings before he turned to Ino. "Can you initially coordinate between Team Gai and would doing so be a recommended course of action?"

Ino looked at them with a hint of uncertainty. She said, "We can try it." Then in a more dry tone she added, "If they can remain focused and refrain from thinking of youth."

Neji and Tenten looked at her curiously and even smiled a small smile, while Gai and Lee looked on with faint disapproval.

Kakashi asked, "How far would you have to be away from them? Does distance matter?"

"I could manage it at a distance, but I'd burn more chakra and experience just as much mental fatigue plus the results would be sub par. If I'm going to help, I need to be with them."

Gai asked, "You intend us to lure them out and young Ino to help in some way?"

"Quite simply yes. I need bait to get them out of their fortified positions, and I need it to be good enough for them to take, but not so good as to be suspicious about. Neji's dojutsu should get them running and you do have the more experienced team. Do you think you can do it?"

Gai said, "We can."

"Just remember, your goal is not to defeat or kill any of them. Your primary goal is to stay alive. Your secondary goal is to draw as many of them out as possible so we can kill them. Beyond that, take out targets of opportunity but don't get bogged down. Once the primary mission is done Ino will return to waiting for Yagura. Ino, if this works, I want you to be careful to ration your strength. Do whatever it takes to keep everyone alive, but no more. Yagura is likely to be difficult."

Ino said, "I understand. Now this is going to take about an hour or two to establish so as not to be a really bad idea. Can you give me that time?"

Kakashi said, "Sure. I'll have to delay the others a bit, but that is no problem. Do you need anything else."

"No, just quiet."

Kakashi nodded and left.

Ino walked over to TenTen. "For now I want you to watch my body and tell me which one of them is crazier."

Neji smirked as Gai and Lee looked slighly confused.

TenTen said, "You think I've figured that out?"

"Never mind." She turned to Gai. "I'm going to start with you. Please think about the top of the Hokage mountain overlooking Konoha."

Ino's spirit shot out of her body and entered Gai. She saw him standing and looking out over Konoha.

She said, "Take my hand. See as I see."

\- o -

Gai took the young woman's hand and his vision suddenly was doubled. He closed his own eyes only to see that his view was slightly shifted and slightly more crisp and vibrant. He moved his hand, only to see it out of the corner of his eye.

Ino though, "Do not close your eyes. You must adapt to the multiple viewpoints. I will assist. Now, I want you to let go of my hand, but not let go of this new connection. Focus on that. You know how to do this, for I am with you and I know how to do this."

Gai carefully let go, only to have his vision remain doubled.

Ino created several generic monsters and sent them at Gai, even as she walked around to the other side of the room. Gai proceeded to pulverize the monsters. One started to sneak up behind him, but his extra set of eyes as well as the feel of Ino wanting to draw attention to that point easily allowed him to spot it.

Ino said, "Good, you know the basics. I'm going to move on to the next. Once everyone is in the link we can practice with the least time wasted."

Ino repeated her task with Lee with similar results. Both could be serious when there was need.

Neji was a bit more surprised when he entered the link. "Your vision is really quite different."

She grinned. "Mine is normal, though yes, I do envy Hinata's at times, but then if I had that, I could not do this."

"It will take some getting used to."

"True. It is not easy, even for me, and I've had practice. There is some difference in yours than Hinata's, but not enough to distract me. The challenging part will be filtering your vision so the others can use it without becoming distracted by it. I will have to filter your vision and send them only what matters. You will have to help with this as Hinata does."

Neji asked, "How does this help me? Won't doing this plus dealing with the extra eyes and such just distract me?"

"For that we need to be in the real world. You will see shortly."

Tenten's mind was actually fun, if you didn't mind a mindscape littered with every weapon in existence. She accepted the link easily.

Back outside Ino said, "Okay we have a primary link. The goal of me helping is to make sure none of you get killed. That will take practice. I'm going to do that in two parts."

Sakura, Naruto, and Hinata appeared beside her in swirls of leaves, air, and water.

Ino said, "First, I am simply going to coordinate with all seven of you. Initially I just want Team Gai to pay attention to the link as those three engage in a spar. Neji use the link as cues as to whether or not to activate your dojutsu. When Hinata is using sage chakra she has no limits to the time she can keep her dojutsu active, so your experience may be best used in calling attention to parts of her sensory data that are relevant."

Gai asked, "Your not going to take part?"

"No managing all seven of you with four new is going to give me enough of a headache. It is good practice for me, but not easy."

\- o -

Tenten could hardly believe her senses as her brain scrambled to handle all these overlapping senses. The odd thing is it was working. She understood it all or at least enough of it. She understood that when Hinata pulverized Naruto that it was only a clone. She knew that without thought as she knew what Naruto was really looking at. She knew that when Sakura jumped up and shattered the Earth that she was mentally running through estimates of the damage and verifying that no one would suffer significant injuries. She could feel step by step on how carefully Sakura controlled her chakra when she punched, or even how Naruto did something similar. His control was no less impressive, but it was the difference between a large lake and and a small ocean that was constantly getting filled. Naruto was the Jinchurki of the Kyuubi. She didn't know that until she did. It didn't matter.

She felt Ino ask Naruto if she could try something. He agreed without question. Ino asked him to call up the Kyuubi's power. He did so. His whole body was glowing in gold fire. Great thick vines grew out of the ground and wrapped around Naruto before growing into tree branches. Ino asked, "You're not affected are you Naruto?"

Naruto easily burst out of the branches.

Ino though, "That sucks. I knew it wasn't the real thing, but I expected something."

Mokuton. No, it was not that. She could feel the effort Ino made as she finely wove earth, water, and yang chankra into her construct. She was faking a Kekai Genki on pure skill alone. That was impressive.

"We will deal with it. At minimum I should be able to buy time and keep him distracted."

Hinata shot a stream of water towards Sakura only for her to retaliate with a stream of fire. Naruto wove air into the fire until the water was nothing but vapor.

Tenten felt a bit sad as she felt Hinata, Naruto, and Sakura leave their link. After that Ino let the rest of their link drop one by one. Sakura ran over to check Ino, even as Hinata started on TenTen.

Ino said, "You should all be fine, but it is additional mental stress. We need to monitor it. Does anyone have any other medical conditions no matter how minor that will affect combat?"

Sakura quickly finished up. "Your fine." She went over to Lee.

Gai said, "I have a knee injury. It is nearly healed."

Ino walked over to him and quickly checked and repaired his knee while Hinata finished with Neji. When she was done Ino said, "Thanks guys. Now, how about we spar. I'll reform the link with only team Gai. Hinata, Sakura, and Naruto will be your opponents. My focus is still going to have to be on helping your coordination. Once we get you up to speed I can contribute again."

Gai asked, "Do you really think those three can challenge us with you helping?"

Ino smiled. As she brought up the link, they could hear her bell like laughter in their minds. Naruto created two dozen Shadow clones, Hinata created six, while Sakura created as many Earth clones.

Team Gai was wary as the clones started forward. Lee attempted to kick one of the Naruto's in the head, only to have a Hinata clone nearly take his head off. He dodged out of the way only for a Sakura clone to almost pull him into the Earth.

Gai thought, "They are coordinating. How? Ino is here, and it is the clones, not just their originals."

Neji's thought, "There is a seal on their backs that is active now. I suspect that is related."

Tenten asked, "How does that help us?"

Neji thought, "If I can disrupt the seal on the originals it might disrupt their coordination."

Ino's though chimed in, "Well then, Naruto-kun will just have to fix that when he gets a chance. He planned to do so anyway, but this mission came out of the blue. Touch one without chakra and I'll tell them to act as if it was disabled."

Gai thought, "Agreed. Are these seals something we could also use?"

They continued to spar, even while the conversation continued. Ino thought, "The Hokage is considering them for general use once a few more issues are addressed. They take more time to train than we have now. I can reduce that. I copied a bunch of Naruto's memories to get us up to speed fast, just as I'm indirectly doing with you for this method, but there are limits. I'm near the point of causing you brain damage now and your mind is not as resilient as Kurenai's. For now, my own skills are superior, at least for such a small group. What Naruto did was quite clever. It quite frankly gives me a headache when I try to understand it all. It is not, however, a living mind."

Gai punched Naruto knocking him into a tree. He thought, "How are you unaffected then?"

"Most is genetic. Some is secret. Having med nins for friends really rocks when your a Yamanaka. I can and have healed my own brain from time to time, but I try to avoid it. Healing your own brain is dangerous."

Tenten thought, "No kidding? I can't imagine how difficult that would be."

"You just have to be very sure what your fixing won't affect your control of the jutsu. Either way, I think I've got us mostly synced up. It is time to kick it up a notch or ten. If we are going into the fire, we sure as hell better be ready for it."

She called out, "I'm ready to go all out. I'll establish secondary links in a second. If I give a command, you will execute it, since I'm only going to do so when someones life is risked."

Hinata smirked. "It is about time you finished Ino. Are you getting rusty in your old age?"

Ino glared at her, even as Sakura whistled and Naruto looked confused.

Ino established the links and began to pull in natural energy, even as Sakura and Hinata did as well. Naruto began to tap into Kurama's power.

\- o -

Tenten said flatly, "Oh crap," even as she felt the link taken to another level entirely. Ino kept shooting vines all over the place trying to slow down her opponents, even as Neji tried but failed to land a single blow on Hinata. She just flowed around it all.

A plan formed in her mind, and for the life of her she couldn't tell it was her plan or not. She knew exactly moment from moment where the blind spots were on Hinata, Sakura, and Naruto.

She realized that the two green members of her team were still wearing their weights, only for the very thought to lead them to taking them off.

She saw that Naruto had difficulty keeping up with the new speed, particularly when Gai and Lee double teamed him before Sakura could again relieve him from some of it. His Biju boosted body took the hits without pause. He tried using coordinated clones and when that was only marginal he signaled one. The clone channeled all its remaining chakra into his best emulation of a Tsunade style punch shattering the earth and allowing him breathing space.

Hinata sped up, straining her best to get inside her cousins range where she launched a flurry of attacks, disabling dozens of tenketsu. She then shot a ball of wind in front of her and disengaged.

Tenten saw how Sakura was getting fed up. Constantly having to bounce between smacking her down and keeping Lee at bay must be draining on her. Her next move flat out surprised her. She chakra sliced through her bindings on her breasts right in front of Lee. He was momentarily out of it, allowing her to prepare to lay him out with an overpowered punch before he recovered and smacked her into a tree.

Ino surrounded and swarmed Sakura with vines, tying her into a bundle. She said, "Don't forget, I'm here too. Cheap shots don't work with me around."

Tenten saw that Sakura was busily healing herself. She thought they were beginning to win when Naruto and Hinata jumped away, only for a cyclone of wind and water began to level the area.

Kakashi's voice was heard over the storm. "Enough!"

The cyclone collapsed in on itself and the water splattered all over the ground.

Kakashi walked into the now flatter yet slightly muddy clearing. He turned to Gai, "How goes it?"

"It was a most youthful sparring match!"

Kakashi looked around, "Any injuries?"

Ino said, "Everyone was careful. Sakura was the worst and she will be recovered in less than a minute."

Kakashi turned to Gai, "When will your team be ready to go?"

Gai turned to Tenten and Neji. Tenten said, "Could I have a half hour?" Neji said, "I should be fine by then."

Gai said, "Give us an hour. We will leave our weights here, so Lee and I will easily be recovered by then."

Kakashi turned to Ino, "Are they ready to go?"

Ino shrugged. "Short of waiting another day, yah?"

"Was all that really necessary?" he asked.

"Yes. I had to have them practice a complex battle situation to get stuff right. Look, it wasn't as dangerous as it looked. I was in control. The danger will be worse when its real."

Kakashi nodded. "You all have a go in one hour. Is all of your equipment up to this?"

Ino said, "Mine is." She turned to Naruto, "Can you spare Tenten a scroll worth of your special Kunai?"

Kakashi whistled. "Those are the ones that are primed with a bit of chakra and detonate on impact?"

Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Well I have four scrolls full, with each sealing a hundred. I suppose I could donate a couple of the scrolls, but you have to use them carefully."

Kakashi said dryly, "Perhaps you should explain that."

"They are fine, you just need to throw them right after you prime them."

"How right after?"

Ino said, "Immediately. They won't necessarily explode on their own, but they are somewhat unstable from that point on. It is a side effect of the amount of chakra locked in there. Get hit by an enemy jutsu after they are primed and we probably won't need to bury you."

Naruto held out the two scrolls. Ino took one and Kakashi took another. He absently unsealed one Kunai from the seal, flashed a bit of chakra into it and threw it at a tree several hundred feet away. The kunai exploded on contact, removing the tree from existence.

Kakashi said, "We still need to talk to you about the definition of reasonable, don't we? Okay, what about regular chakra flow?"

Naruto said, "Better not try it. Wind chakra works though."

"I can work with that." He unsealed another kunai and handed it to Tenten.

Her eyes widened. She said, "You want me to waste it?"

"Yes. You need at least a little practice. I assume you aren't confident in wind chakra streaming?"

"No," she said bitterly.

She targeted a tree almost a thousand feet away and used a chakra enhanced throw with a minor flare to the kunai at the last second. The kunai flew true and removed one more tree from creation.

Naruto hesitantly handed her a full scroll which caused Tenten to giggle and pat it fondly.

Kakashi asked, "Anyone else?"

Neji said, "I have some regular, and probably much safer tags."

Lee said, "I couldn't use them."

"Gai?" Kakashi asked.

"Give me six. I'll seal them in a separate scroll just in case."

Kakashi passed him six of them. He then asked, "Gai, was it wise to give Tenten a full set of one hundred?"

Tenten was still faintly giggling.

"I'll let you know."

Kakashi said, "Naruto, make sure you recover any of these Tenten doesn't use. She can speak with the Hokage about obtaining more. Demolitions grade tags are restricted for a reason. Also, make sure you send the Hokage the bill for the materials used on this mission. I'm assuming either Ino or Hinata's family paid for them originally.

"Both," he said quietly.

Naruto then pulled out another scroll and from it he unsealed four sets of ear plugs and handed them out. Ino pulled out her own set and showed them to the others briefly.

Lee asked, "What are these for?"

Naruto said, "Those mostly block explosions. You can still hear, but your ears are protected."

\- o -

Ino ran, doing her best to fake a stumble here or there as her and Team Gai lead what seemed to be a fast retreat from the Kiri forces. At least half the Kiri forces were following them. That would not do. She created an Earth clone and did a seal less replacement with it, even as she moved well ahead.

The Earth clone hopped up on a rock and bent over and mooned them before turning to mud after a Kunai landed in a painful place. She was quite glad she didn't use a shadow clone. Gai sent, "Was that really necessary?"

"They seemed to lack motivation. Look, more are coming."

Ino was right. Another two dozen of their shinobi forces were piling out of Kiri. She sent vines to snare them, but her efforts were token at best. Now they thought they had another Kekkei Genki user. They were really inspired.

Ino thought, "This is what is left of Kiri's elite?" She absently dodged another kunai that she saw coming her way thanks to Neji's vision.

Neji thought, "Perhaps we should just start killing them?"

"No," Ino thought, "We'll, maybe in a minor way. There is no point in taking risks. I'll give everyone regular kunai paths. One will be on target, the rest will be in places they would dodge."

Ino used every ounce of info she knew to select her first target. The jounin off to the side that seemed to be hanging back looked the most likely threat. She threw the Kunai right at his heart, while the others covered every possible way to dodge. He took a kunai to the neck courtesy of Neji. One of his companions briefly stopped to confirm the death before running harder.

They continued this tactic, picking off one after the other every fifteen seconds or so. Unfortunately they were running out of regular kunai with almost three quarters of their opponents remaining. They were about thirty minutes away from their ambush zone.

Ino thought, "What do you think Gai?"

"They are apt to get more ambitious if they think we are out of weapons. I'd rather not take them on directly. It is a needless risk. Ino I want you to try to clump them together with your vines. Others can assist as possible. Tenten begin selective targeting with the explosive kunai once they are grouped. Everyone else, stick with shuriken if you have them. I want them to think only Tenten has those kunai."

Through their combined field of vision she focused on the a group off to the side. Vines shot up just ahead of where they were running, tripping them. Tenten's kunai shot out fast and hit right in the middle of the group, removing them from existence and staggering many nearby.

Now they were quite angry. Unfortunately they were also quite scattered. They ran, while waiting for their opponents to regroup.

Before they got to the main ambush they had taken out four more groups. Once ther main group surrounded them half surrendered, while the other half continued to fight until they were eliminated.

Kakashi motioned Ino and Gai over away from the others and up to where Mei and Ao were waiting. "Ino, I need you to go try to find out where Yagura is. Are you up to it?"

"I'm a little tired, and we might yet have to fight a Biju if everything goes pear shaped. Mei, can your people at least point out someone worth wasting the chakra for a shintenshin on?"

"Unfortunately," Ao said dryly, "there seems to be no one important left. Just how many did you kill?"

Gai said, "About half. We targeted the ones we thought were most dangerous."

Kakashi said, "Don't bother then. Save your strength. Mei and her people can begin asking using more traditional methods. I didn't want to have Naruto waste a bunch of chakra, but he may be our best bet for finding him now. Worst case we accept our victory, and live to finish this another day."

Itachi walked up. "We are too late. I found where Yagura was living. He is not there now, and I don't think he ran."

"Damn," Kakashi said. "Akatsuki?" he asked.

"We probably missed a white zetsu clone. I'm assuming Tobi warped to him, disabled him somehow, maybe in his sleep, and warped away with him. That eye of his does something like that. I am, however, only guessing."

Tobi appeared in front of them. "Itachi-senpai has been a bad boy."

Kakashi shot an explosive kunai at him. It went right through, ending up in one of the prisoners, deleting him from existence and ripping into one of Mei's people. Sakura was already running to help.

Tobi whistled. "That could have hurt Tobi!"

"That was the general idea," Kakashi said dryly.

Suddenly Ino's spirt blasted out of her form and impacted and connected with Tobi.

\- o -

Ino's body flared with silver fire as she yanked in natural energy using her connection to her body. Her spiritual avatar appeared in the Uchiha's mind scape with her eyes closed.

"Tobi wanders what a Yamanaka is doing here?"

"Killing you."

"With your eyes closed?" he asked curiously.

"I can see well enough." She then exerted her will and his mindscape literally started ripping itself to pieces.

She continued to pour on the power as she used her mental skills to not just damage a psyche but to destroy it bit by bit utterly. The Uchiha screamed even as his world dissolved around him.

She continued to pour on the power until not even form remained and all was as nothingness before she snapped the connection and rejoined her body. She then slammed water, earth, yang chakra, and power into a verdant rage as she forced vines to pierce through his body ripping him apart and destroying him body, eyes, and all.

Mei and Kakashi finished him off with Lava and fire before Itachi added some kind of black fire. Nothing remained but the black fire that everyone moved away from.

As the ashes began to cool Tenten said, "Remind me to not make you mad."

Ino shook her head as a headache of monstrous proportions took her. "I'm still not sure I shouldn't have tried to get information, but he was just too dangerous. I couldn't risk it. Even if we lost Yagura, this was a successful mission."

Itachi said, "I would agree." Ino found herself having difficulty focusing as she tried to grab a hold of Kakashi who was closest. He reached down and caught her, letting her down easily.

Sakura was immediately there with Hinata only a second later.

Sakura said, "You start. I can't work deeply as easy." Hinata nodded as she immediately started to work on her friend.

Naruto was there as well. Kakashi said, "Naruto, make a bunch of those eagles. Try to find Yagura." Naruto quickly created the ram seal only for a few hundred eagles to take flight into the air and scatter.

They all looked down as Hinata worked. Hinata was a perfect picture of focus as she worked minute after minute until nearly an hour passed. When she was done she said, "Sakura, please check my work."

Sakura immediately started her own efforts even as Hinata stood and moved away from Sakura so as not to disturb her. She approached Kakashi and said, "I fixed most of it, but I want to take her back to Tsunade. I think she did something forbidden. I have not seen the like. I'd like to bring her back to Konoha. Tsunade and her clan need to see her. These things are best addressed quickly."

"Understood. How urgent is it?"

"The sooner the better. Sakura may be able to tell us more."

He turned to Gai, "When Sakura is done, I want you, Lee, and Hinata to make best speed back to Konoha with Ino." Switching to Hinata he asked, "Can you keep up?"

Lee said, "I could carry you."

"No, with natural energy I can keep up. I may have to rest for days after, but I can keep up. I'm just glad I learned how to pull it in while moving."

Sakura finished ten minutes later. "I touched a few things up, but this is beyond us. She needs to see Tsunade."

Kakashi said, "I've already arranged for Gai, Lee, and Hinata to take her back, unless you think you would be better."

"No, her endurance is higher than mine." She turned to Hinata, "Do you want me to top off you chakra? Mine should be compatible now."

Hinata hesitated. "Still too risky. Change it purely to medical chakra. I can run with that."

Sakura held out a brightly green glowing hand that Hinata took. Sakura seemed to wilt under the contact until half a minute had elapsed and Hinata let her go. "Thank you Sakura, That will help."

Gai picked up Ino in a fireman's carry and just started to run. Lee was on his tails and Hinata was on theirs.

\- o -

Two hours later Gai ran up to the gates. Tsunade was waiting there with Inoichi. Gai gently handed the young woman to Tsunade even as Lee and Hinata caught up. Tsunade vanished in a swirl of leaves, followed by the rest of those that were waiting. A few seconds later everyone was gone.

Ino was soon put through an elaborate scanning machine and then laid on a gurney. Tsunade handed a copy of the results to Inochi. "Can you explain that?"

"It is the result of using a forbidden jutsu. It should have been fatal. I'm unsure how to treat it."

"Can you do what Ino does?"

"Yes, though perhaps not as well."

"What about you Hinata? Can you help?"

She was still heaving breath after breath. She said, "Let me grab some pure oxygen and I'll be fine, at least for eyes. The rest of me needs days of rest and healing."

Inochi asked, "Are you sure it wouldn't be better to wait for Hiashi? He is supposed to be coming."

Hinata said, "No, he can't see as well as I can, and he doesn't have practice with this. Just gotta catch my breath enough to recover sage mode. I need its enhancement to compensate for my state."

She grabbed an oxygen mask and turned it up even as she forced herself into a hasty meditative state. Less than a minute later she turned the oxygen down but kept it on. Tsunade handed her what looked like a oddly colored vial of liquid. She downed it without tasting it before replacing the mask and nodding to Inochi who placed a hand on her neck and another on Tsunade's.

Hiashi arrived with the Hyuga healer to see Hinata looking like death warmed over but with haunting amber eyes. He activated his eyes and gasped at what he saw. "Daughter, you should be resting."

Tsunade's assistant Shizune said, "She knows. She is trying to help Ino before this becomes permanent."

\- o -

Hiashi watched as Tsunade worked diligently without a single wasted motion as she carefully used her very delicate and surprisingly accurate medical jutsu to repair and regenerate cells deep in the Yamanaka's brain. He looked closer at his daughter and realized that her focus was perfectly on that same area. It barely even looked like her daughter was breathing.

The medic beside him was equally amazed as they worked. They were at it for almost two hours before Tsunade let her jutsu go. Hinata immediately dropped out of sage mode and passed out, only to be quickly attended to by the Hyuga doctor.

His scan was quick and efficient, with his eyes rapidly assisting his work. Tsunade looked on blankly as she recovered from having to focus at such a high level for so long. The Hyuga doctor said, "She is dangerously exhausted, but with care she should recover. She will have to remain here."

"You will remain with her," Hiashi commanded.

"Of course,"

Tsunade said, "I think I got it all. It is good you got her back so quickly. Sakura and Hinata's initial work wasn't bad, but this required a more skilled touch to really get right. She might still have some memory loss, though there is enough redundancy, she might not. I don't know." She turned to Inoichi and said, "Without you and Hinata, I couldn't have done that half as well. Thank you."

"I just wish I hadn't let her find that jutsu. Come to think of it, I'm sure it is still sealed. What was she doing that she risked that one?"

Gai was resting in a chair to the side. Lee was next to him passed out. "She killed one of the people in Akatsuki that was able to become intangible. From the Sharingan, the mask, and what the Hokage has discussed with me, I think he may have been the one that released the Kyubi on us."

Tsunade said, "Gai, I know your exhausted. I'll get you a room next to this one, but do you think you have enough chakra to form a Henge of the guy once I dig up a camera?"

"Yes, though that is about it for me."

"Did you use the gates?"

"Both Lee and I used the first gate towards the end. I honestly don't know how Hinata kept up. You should get someone to look at Lee too. I don't think I took any damage, but I'm not sure I could tell right now either."

"Great, Shizune and perhaps Hiashi's friend should be able to patch you up."

Moments later Hiruzen was there. They had also acquired a camera. Gai shifted, and before the flash could even be taken Hiruzen said, "That was him. I was near enough that day. I remember that mask. We'll have to look at your memories to know for sure, but that is enough for now. Get some rest. I got a message back via the Monkey's. All is quiet in Kiri. I'm having them remain for now and help restore order."

\- o -

Later that day Jiraiya read a note handed to him by the toads. They had probably lost a biju to Akatsuki, but they had taken three of them out of action, and better yet his agent was healed and now working somewhat more openly for Konoha. It did seem that his healing may not be permanent, but perhaps Tsunade could do something about that.

It also looked like the one they killed was the one they most wanted. He wondered who that Uchiha was, or if they would ever know. That information wasn't in Ino's memories. He would later learn from Hiruzen that it was almost certainly the Uchiha that had freed and controlled the Kyubi to nearly destroy Konoha.

He himself had found the identity of two more of them. He hoped that Nagato and Konan could be reasoned with and he hoped they could eliminate the other members of Akatsuki without too much fuss. Those were jobs for another day though. Dying once, even if he didn't remember it, was once too much for him.

It was true that all the battles were not won. There was always another battle. The price of civilization was eternal vigilance and they had a great deal more work to do, but for once he truly saw the possibility of them getting it all done. In the previous timeline Naruto had been his student. Jiraiya planned for him to be so again. In the previous timeline Naruto had in the end, been the chosen one, though not in the way they foresaw. He had been the one with the power and set of skills required to give them this chance. They just had to not screw it up.

The real problem was the toads assured him that the prophecy was still in force. Was Naruto still the center point? He did not know, and that was what troubled him. He also really didn't like it that Ino chose to risk her own death to end that Uchiha. The job was not done. If his guesses were correct her help would be required in the future, to say nothing of those that would mourn the troublesome Yamanaka's death. For now his job just became far more important. Much of the intelligence Ino brought back was becoming less and less useful. He needed to be on his A game. He needed to get Konoha the information required to prosper. No one had said it, but he knew that he had failed in the previous timeline. He must not fail in this one. There were no more second chances.

They really needed a plan to unite the shinobi world and the first step in that was to address the issue of Suna. Rasa should still be alive. Perhaps he could collect Naruto and his team and make a trip to Suna. One genin team, even with him as the temporary leader should still be allowed in. Rasa would not want to appear so weak as to refuse that. Once there perhaps he could offer to look at his son's seal. If he worked it out right, he thought he could get some additional wind mastery training out of it for them, and even that would be a front for teasing them with Konoha's strength.

Should he try to see if he could orchestrate a situation where Gaara lost control and the troublesome three subdued him? He didn't like doing such things, but it could underline why they were not to be messed with. That message, above all, must be sent.

He briefly considered if perhaps he could get Rasa to admit the three should be promoted. Rasa's words did not mean the Hokage had to promote them. In fact, he rather suspected he would not in favor of them decimating the upcoming exams. Word, however, would spread, particularly if he helped it, and that would be useful.

He realized it was possible that Konoha beginning to show its strength would draw out some, and perhaps even the mysterious threat he still thought was out there, but it was necessary. Their only shot at peace was first being strong enough that the other great countries wanted to ally with them enough to create something that had meaning. Peace could not easily be won through war. The cycle of vengeance was not easily broken, but perhaps they had a chance now, in that brief lull in the endless waltz.


End file.
